Human capital management
Based in Paris, Groupe LDLC is one of a number of companies experimenting with a shorter working week.
“We are looking at the transformative benefit of a day off,” O’Connor continues. “We have seen many case studies where wellbeing is up, productivity is up and results are up. Now, we want to show that it can be replicated on a bigger scale. Much like remote working, the pandemic made this permissible. We had the tools already but the pandemic opened up the idea that you could run a global company from your kitchen table, and made it socially permissible.”
“We have now worked with hundreds of different companies around the world to focus on productivity using the model of 100% pay, 80% time for commitment to produce 100% of output.”
Joe O’Connor 63% 78% 4 Day Week Global 20
The percentage of businesses that report finding it easier to attract and retain talent with a four-day week.
The so-called ‘100:80:100’ model is now the basis for similar projects that are set to start in the US, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, among other places. Those backing such initiatives can point to tangible proof that the concept is viable – not least from the experience of French company LDLC.
Proven in practice
The percentage of employees working four-day weeks that are happier and less stressed.
French e-commerce company Groupe LDLC is possibly the most impressive example of the four- day week in Europe. The company, run by CEO Laurent de la Clergerie, specialises in the sale of computer components and high-tech products such as digital cameras, game consoles and home automation installations. Since introducing the four-day week in early 2021, the company has seen its annual turnover increase by 40% without hiring any additional staff, even as absenteeism and sick leave fell dramatically, and employee wellbeing increased significantly. “For three or four years I was thinking about how
to have better wellbeing in the company for everyone,” de la Clergerie explains. “One day in late 2019 I read an article about a company trialing the four-day week in Japan, so I thought, ‘why not?’. “Around 80% of our people were happy about the idea of trialing it, though 20% were frightened,” he continues, adding that many managers were afraid work ethics would slip and planning would become impossible. “In fact,” de la Clergerie stresses, “people work better in four days than they used to work in five days.”
In 2019, LDLC’s turnover was around €500m and it employed 1,060 people. Since the four-day week was implemented, it has maintained a comparable workforce – it now has 1,030 employees – even as its annual turnover has risen to €700m. So, what’s the secret behind this success? The boss condenses his argument into two words: rest and recuperation. “People are less stressed and less tired at the end of the week, so they work better,” says de la Clergerie. “One place I didn’t imagine this kind of improvement was logistics, but we still fulfil all of our orders. Workers come in on Monday with more energy and they still have more energy at the end of week, so they can do the same work that they used to do in five days.”
Indeed, the LDLC model is not as simple as giving everyone a three-day weekend. Everyone has the weekend off, except those in retail who are needed on Saturdays. But everyone has two consecutive days off in a row every week, and the third day can be any day during the week. Most people ask for Friday or Wednesday, so each week their preferences are rotated between employees. “This model changes everything,” de la Clergerie emphasises. “One bonus is that we are one of the first companies to do this, but that is not the only reason it works. We really change people’s lives. I have never asked anything from the employees. I never asked to have the same work in four days
Finance Director Europe /
www.financedirectoreurope.com
Groupe LDLC
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