August 24, 2015
Uniqlo tests four-day workweeks in stores
Uniqlo is testing a four-day workweek schedule for its store associates in Japan in a bid to improve retention and support full-time employment.
The apparel retail giant told Bloomberg that many of its in-store workers work part-time primarily to spend time with families or care for their elderly parents. The program is particularly aimed at attracting and retaining talented women.
"We’ve got a big program at the moment, working towards empowering women in the workforce," a spokesman for Fast Retailing, the parent of Uniqlo, told NBC News. "The idea is that if you’ve got kids, it gives you a lot more flexibility."
In October, around 10,000 full-time employees in Uniqlo’s Japan stores, roughly a fifth of its workforce, will be allowed to work four 10-hour days and gain an extra day off. Participants will have to work Saturday and/or Sunday to support peak hours.
The shorter workweek may be expanded to its headquarters and across more stores if successful.
Photo: Uniqlo
The move comes as Japanese businesses are rethinking long work hours. According to data compiled by the Japanese government and reported by the Guardian, about 22 percent of the country’s employees spend more than 49 hours per week at work versus 16 percent in the U.S. and 11 percent in France and Germany.
According to a survey earlier this year from the Society for Human Resource Management, about 43 percent of U.S. companies, mostly smaller startups, offer at least some workers the option of a compressed workweek, although it’s typically a perk for white-collar employees. Only 10 percent of those companies let all employees work a shortened schedule.
Beyond helping with children or elder care, four-day workweeks can help improve concentration with the longer periods of uninterrupted work on 10-hour days, according to advocates. Shorter weeks also promise to boost morale and productivity with employees coming back more refreshed over a longer weekend.
Challenges include the fact that many other businesses work on a five-day week and workflow and communication schedules have to be planned out ahead of time, according to a recent article on the trend by Fast Company. Some positions, such as receptionists or mail sorters, are needed every working day, and jealousies can arrive for those having to work traditional hours. At least in offices, many workers want to take off Monday or Fridays, leaving businesses understaffed on those days.
- Uniqlo to try out four-day work week – Bloomberg News/Financial Post
- Uniqlo to test four-day week for store workers in Japan – Mashable
- Clocking off: Japan calls time on long-hours work culture – The Guardian
- The 4-day workweek is real … for employees at these companies – CNN Money
- How These Companies Have Made Four-Day Workweeks Feasible – Fast Company
- Uniqlo Offers Four-Day Work Week to Lure, Retain Talent – CNBC
BrainTrust
Kevin Graff
President, Graff Retail
Recent Discussions
Discussion Questions
Do you think a four-day workweek for retail full-timers would be an improvement over the traditional five-day schedule in attracting and retaining talent while also improving productivity? Is it likely that the concept will be tested in the U.S.?
Poll
This makes perfect sense! Creating a great work environment for staff is just as important as creating a great shopping experience for customers. Look for staff to flock to retailers who offer this option for scheduling. Are there hurdles to overcome? Yes. But what retailers do so well is solve most every challenge.
Now if only I could work a four-day week!
Yes, a four-day work week would benefit the industry and most likely attract more people into the industry. While not everyone could have Monday or Friday, on a rotating basis it could help everyone have at least two three-day weekends a month. It would also give part-timers more responsibility and possibly keep more of them in retail, too!
Let’s see what the unions have to say about it first, but it would work in the U.S. for many retailers.
Four ten-hours days versus the traditional 40-hour work week would seem like a great perk to many. The key is to have the choice of one or the other. Perhaps even better would be the ability to occasionally change from one to the other.
The issue of having to commit to working Saturday and/or Sunday to support peak hours will not be much of an issue as it is likely that they are already working a weekend now.
I expect it will be tested in the U.S. and find favor with some employees and companies.
Four 10-hour days for full-time employees as a potential option could be a game-changer when it come to not drawing more employees into retailing but being able to draw better employees who are interested in a retail job to come to work for you.
The challenge that retail has is that more and more people do not see retail as a full-time job. It is something to fill in or to do while looking for something else.
As much as people go to work for the money. They are looking long-term for growth, opportunity and challenge — things most retail jobs don’t seem to offer.
Yes. Big time yes!
My son works for a group that supports the payment side of retail and they tried this and now use it across the board for their qualified team members. My son’s team loved it and really got more done every day.
The key was making sure the right people were offered this option. Some new entry team members were not ready for the four-day program. Smart move for Uniqlo and we will see more shops follow.
I myself need eight days in the work week. Turning OFF email for hours each day has gotten me to seven-and-a-half days in the week.
I was working a four-day, 12-hour-a-day week 35 years ago at FW Woolworth. It still felt like I was dog tired all the time. This concept has been tested already and it’s really up to individual cases on whether it’s better. I think what I benefited from most was it gave me an extra day a week to interview for a better job. There are some real benefits to working fewer days, like one day of just not having to travel. This also gives a person an opportunity to take on an extra job or start their own business.
I agree with with Kevin Graff — if I could only work a four-day week. Then again I kind of like working seven days a week. When your job is like a hobby or vacation, the more you work the more fun you are having.
I can’t quite put my finger on the “why,” but I think this is a bad idea for both parties. As an old store manager, I know that so much changes so fast at retail, new product, new promotion, new customers, new displays, new part timers…I’d want my full timers to be there as much as possible to keep abreast of that so when they talk to customers and their own team, they know the latest and greatest.
And as an associate, it’s the same thing. If you’re interested in a management role or if you’re just trying to be the best you can possibly be, you’re going to want to be in the store more often, not less. Again, it’s so fast moving, you can’t just show up once in a while (57% of the time?) to understand everything that’s changing and how customers are reacting.
So, it’ll be interesting to see what happens, but as a retailer, I’d rather be a fast second on this one.
This is a great idea. Although not new, it is something that other industries have successfully tested. Retail companies would benefit from better productivity if they gave this model a try.
This is very common model in office/corporate environments, so it’s no shock to see it finally introduced in retail. For many it provides the flexibility needed to stay at their current employer.
If it proves out as a way to reduce turnover (my gut says it will) expect to see it become widespread. Then retailers can start focusing more on improving productivity and less on recruitment, training, and churn reduction.
I think it is an improvement any time an employer offers employees flexibility with their schedules. It makes for happier, more motivated employees, and is important for retailers’ customer experience. And it doesn’t cost anything.
For certain roles in certain types of retail, being able to offer a 4-day, 10-hour shifts has a benefit. But remember if you are talking store-level many employees will still have to work the weekend, holidays and most employees will not get the benefit of a M-Th schedule. My wife (in healthcare) has worked in various shifts and there are always tradeoffs. Extended work days can make it more difficult to find daycare, leads to more fatigue on working days, and can reduce end-of-shift productivity. Having the ability to offer this as a benefit to select employees has value for the business—but it will have complications that should be evaluated and factored into the decision.
Really? Do you think a person can be more productive when working a longer day? Here we are talking about retail associates, but I know I couldn’t be more productive in my work setting. Longer periods of uninterrupted work? I’d be more tired, lose my concentration, need to take breaks more often, and, ultimately, be less productive. Also, feel less responsible for what happens on my watch.
The pressure of having to get something done before you can leave on that long weekend… this seems counter-productive; I think the retail business and the retail workers will be getting a sow’s ear that looks like a silk purse.
This is an interesting position, but the article neglects to raise the increased costs which a 10 hour day incurs, since 2 hours of each day would be paid at overtime. In the USA this would be a poor decision.
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This makes perfect sense! Creating a great work environment for staff is just as important as creating a great shopping experience for customers. Look for staff to flock to retailers who offer this option for scheduling. Are there hurdles to overcome? Yes. But what retailers do so well is solve most every challenge.
Now if only I could work a four-day week!
Yes, a four-day work week would benefit the industry and most likely attract more people into the industry. While not everyone could have Monday or Friday, on a rotating basis it could help everyone have at least two three-day weekends a month. It would also give part-timers more responsibility and possibly keep more of them in retail, too!
Let’s see what the unions have to say about it first, but it would work in the U.S. for many retailers.
Four ten-hours days versus the traditional 40-hour work week would seem like a great perk to many. The key is to have the choice of one or the other. Perhaps even better would be the ability to occasionally change from one to the other.
The issue of having to commit to working Saturday and/or Sunday to support peak hours will not be much of an issue as it is likely that they are already working a weekend now.
I expect it will be tested in the U.S. and find favor with some employees and companies.
Four 10-hour days for full-time employees as a potential option could be a game-changer when it come to not drawing more employees into retailing but being able to draw better employees who are interested in a retail job to come to work for you.
The challenge that retail has is that more and more people do not see retail as a full-time job. It is something to fill in or to do while looking for something else.
As much as people go to work for the money. They are looking long-term for growth, opportunity and challenge — things most retail jobs don’t seem to offer.
Yes. Big time yes!
My son works for a group that supports the payment side of retail and they tried this and now use it across the board for their qualified team members. My son’s team loved it and really got more done every day.
The key was making sure the right people were offered this option. Some new entry team members were not ready for the four-day program. Smart move for Uniqlo and we will see more shops follow.
I myself need eight days in the work week. Turning OFF email for hours each day has gotten me to seven-and-a-half days in the week.
I was working a four-day, 12-hour-a-day week 35 years ago at FW Woolworth. It still felt like I was dog tired all the time. This concept has been tested already and it’s really up to individual cases on whether it’s better. I think what I benefited from most was it gave me an extra day a week to interview for a better job. There are some real benefits to working fewer days, like one day of just not having to travel. This also gives a person an opportunity to take on an extra job or start their own business.
I agree with with Kevin Graff — if I could only work a four-day week. Then again I kind of like working seven days a week. When your job is like a hobby or vacation, the more you work the more fun you are having.
I can’t quite put my finger on the “why,” but I think this is a bad idea for both parties. As an old store manager, I know that so much changes so fast at retail, new product, new promotion, new customers, new displays, new part timers…I’d want my full timers to be there as much as possible to keep abreast of that so when they talk to customers and their own team, they know the latest and greatest.
And as an associate, it’s the same thing. If you’re interested in a management role or if you’re just trying to be the best you can possibly be, you’re going to want to be in the store more often, not less. Again, it’s so fast moving, you can’t just show up once in a while (57% of the time?) to understand everything that’s changing and how customers are reacting.
So, it’ll be interesting to see what happens, but as a retailer, I’d rather be a fast second on this one.
This is a great idea. Although not new, it is something that other industries have successfully tested. Retail companies would benefit from better productivity if they gave this model a try.
This is very common model in office/corporate environments, so it’s no shock to see it finally introduced in retail. For many it provides the flexibility needed to stay at their current employer.
If it proves out as a way to reduce turnover (my gut says it will) expect to see it become widespread. Then retailers can start focusing more on improving productivity and less on recruitment, training, and churn reduction.
I think it is an improvement any time an employer offers employees flexibility with their schedules. It makes for happier, more motivated employees, and is important for retailers’ customer experience. And it doesn’t cost anything.
For certain roles in certain types of retail, being able to offer a 4-day, 10-hour shifts has a benefit. But remember if you are talking store-level many employees will still have to work the weekend, holidays and most employees will not get the benefit of a M-Th schedule. My wife (in healthcare) has worked in various shifts and there are always tradeoffs. Extended work days can make it more difficult to find daycare, leads to more fatigue on working days, and can reduce end-of-shift productivity. Having the ability to offer this as a benefit to select employees has value for the business—but it will have complications that should be evaluated and factored into the decision.
Really? Do you think a person can be more productive when working a longer day? Here we are talking about retail associates, but I know I couldn’t be more productive in my work setting. Longer periods of uninterrupted work? I’d be more tired, lose my concentration, need to take breaks more often, and, ultimately, be less productive. Also, feel less responsible for what happens on my watch.
The pressure of having to get something done before you can leave on that long weekend… this seems counter-productive; I think the retail business and the retail workers will be getting a sow’s ear that looks like a silk purse.
This is an interesting position, but the article neglects to raise the increased costs which a 10 hour day incurs, since 2 hours of each day would be paid at overtime. In the USA this would be a poor decision.