Italian employees leading the global call for the four-day working week

(Adnkronos) – LONDON , May 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Employees in Italy are leading the global drive for a move to the four-day working week as a desire to retain flexible working without limiting career prospects grows. That is according to a new study by global workplace creation experts, Unispace. 
Returning for Good, a Unispace Global Workplace Insights report – which combined the results of an in-depth survey of 9,500 employees and 6,650 business leaders from 17 countries worldwide – found that the four-day working week is more desired in Italy than anywhere else in the world. Almost two-thirds (62%) of office workers in the country are willing to be in the office every day should this be an option. This sentiment is reflected by employers, with 43% willing to implement this change if workers were in the office every day. According to the study, this sentiment is being influenced by the view that career prospects could be limited for those who work in a hybrid manner. Almost three quarters (71%) of employees revealed that they believe promotion, pay rise and bonus opportunities are limited for those who are not in the office. 79% of businesses agree with this sentiment. Employees want their own space at work The study further revealed that two-fifths of the Italian workforce indicated that they currently hot-desk, however 84% would be more inclined to increase their time in the workplace if they had an assigned desk. This change could prove challenging for employers to implement, however, as businesses across Italy are the most likely to have decreased their office footprint (36% versus the global average of 10%) in the past two years. This is likely to be driven by the continued struggles between workers and businesses to strike the right balance between in-office and remote working. Nicholas Kaspareck, Senior Principal, Global Accounts at Unispace, commented: "The findings from Italy paint an interesting picture, with employees demonstrating a higher level of interest to shift to a four-day working week than anywhere else in the world. However, this shift could create issues for employers as 58% of businesses revealed that their workers' expectations of the physical office had increased in a hybrid working environment. Despite Italian professionals being in the office more than the global average (60% versus 50% globally), a quarter of respondents said they did not like being unable to access private space. Just over half (51%) stated that they struggle to do their core job effectively in the office due to interruptions and a high number of meetings." "This suggests that employees are trying to balance their working and professional lives, but unless the issues that have been noted regarding working in the office are resolved, the pressure for hybrid working is likely to remain in place. The fact that Italian businesses appear to have shed their physical office space at a higher rate than other countries will also prove problematic for those firms that do move to a four-day, in-person working week, and they will have to think more creatively about their use of space going forward." About Unispace A strategy, design, and construction leader creating experiences for work for a rapidly changing world. Unispace is a global firm that offers a unified team solution for creating people-centric spaces with purpose – including offices, laboratories and life sciences facilities, campuses, HQs, hospitality and sports venues and retail spaces that spark brilliance, deepen connections, foster a sense of belonging and propel success. With 5,500 projects completed, a presence across 26 countries, and 700+ employees worldwide, our goal is to create spaces that spark brilliance for the people who use them – powered by collaborative client partnerships, delivered seamlessly across borders, and enabled by real-world insights. Unispace ContactIlana ComoMarketing & Communications Directorilana.como@unispace.com  PR Contact | BlueSky PRHead of PRVickie Collingevickie@bluesky-pr.com    

 —immediapress/pr-newswirewebinfo@adnkronos.com (Web Info)