STech asks whether less is more
When STech, which runs Space Casino, announced on April Fools’ Day 2024 that it would be adding a four-day working week to its package of benefits, employees had to be reassured that it wasn’t a joke!
The move to a four-day working week had very clear objectives: to improve work/life balance, boost morale and boost productivity. If the benefits of happier, more productive employees outweighed the impact of employees working 20% fewer hours then the trial would be considered a success. After eight months, STech and its employees have certainly felt the benefits.
“It’s had such a positive impact on the working environment at STech,” said Kate Ellen, head of HR. “We’re seeing real and long-lasting effects. Our employee satisfaction score has jumped, we’ve seen a 25% reduction in sickness absence, a 40% improvement in employee retention and a 60% boost in job applications.”
The reduced working week has been hailed a success and will be here to stay for STech, although it has decided to discontinue the unlimited annual leave policy in 2025.
“There was a large amount of enthusiasm for unlimited leave when it was announced but we’ve found that uptake hasn’t necessarily matched this, and uncertainty has actually led to increased anxiety around taking leave – many people have taken less,”’ explained Kate. “We think people really appreciate the clarity of a fixed number of annual leave days that they have earned, are entitled to and are encouraged to take.”
With employees spending more time questioning what ‘unlimited’ really means, and teams trying to even out the workload with some people taking 50+ days versus some who took less than 10, the simplicity that was hoped for was not achieved. STech is looking forward to entering 2025 with a renewed dedication to employee wellbeing and maintaining the improvement in eNPS scores it saw in 2024. The cementing of the four-day week into employee contracts, and a return to a definitive amount of annual leave, will mean a clearer, simpler approach to employee benefits.