- Company becomes one of the largest tech employers to
introduce new working structure
- WANdisco expects shift to boost productivity and increase
wellbeing of 180+ employee base
- CEO and Co-founder David
Richards marks move as "an inevitable economic
reality"
LONDON, Feb. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- WANdisco (LSE:
WAND), the LiveData company, has today announced a permanent switch
to a four-day working week for the business, officially commencing
on 7th February 2022.
The Sheffield, UK and
San Ramon, CA-based business that
is listed on the AIM market, expects the shift in the working model
to boost productivity and increase wellbeing for its global team of
180+ employees. Employees' salaries will not be changed, despite
the reduction in work week.
WANdisco is one of the largest tech employers to make the
permanent switch to four working days, and is taking a lead in
reshaping the traditional working structure. The company recognises
the significant and permanent changes to the working patterns that
have become a reality as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the
new format will offer greater flexibility to all employees.
The move allows all WANdisco employees to choose to move to a
40-hour working week over four days, paid at the same contracted
salary and all benefits staying the same. Fridays are expected to
be the default non-working days for the majority of employees, but
this scheme is flexible.
David Richards, CEO and
Co-founder of WANdisco, said: "It may feel counterintuitive to
many business leaders, but a four-day working week is now an
inevitable economic reality for us all – and it's only a matter of
time before many others will follow suit. We are proud that
WANdisco is a pioneer in this area, and that we are keeping in step
with the new economic and working patterns emerging from the
pandemic.
"It's worth remembering there's historical precedent. In 1973,
when UK commercial use of electricity was limited and forced a
three-day working week, most people expected a proportional 40 per
cent drop in productivity. Much to everyone's surprise,
productivity in fact went up, as people found ways to work
effectively within the new time structure. What's more, John
Maynard Keynes predicted back in 1930 that the working week would
be drastically cut, to perhaps 15 hours a week, thanks to
technological advancements and changing priorities.
"Working from home was an obvious move for many companies, and
the switch to four days is the natural continuation of this trend
that offers greater flexibility, increases business productivity
and boosts employee wellbeing. The pandemic has taught us many
things, but perhaps none more important than the reality that we
can work smarter, better and more efficiently – and that's exactly
what this move represents."
Anne M. Lynch, SVP for Human
Resources at WANdisco, said: "I'm delighted we are able to
introduce this change for all our employees, and very excited to
see the improvements it will lead to for our global team. Our
people have always been the priority at WANdisco, and this shift is
testament to that – by putting people first we will see enormous
benefits in the long-run as a business, and we are proud to be
rewarding the whole team for the levels of productivity and
efficiency they have shown over the past two challenging years. By
empowering our employees and giving them greater flexibility with
their time, we believe we are creating the right conditions for
business success now, and well into the future."
Press inquiries
UK –
wandisco@wearesevenhills.com
US – wandisco@launchsquad.com
About WANdisco
WANdisco is the first and only data activation platform for
accelerating digital transformation at scale. WANdisco makes
infinite data actionable across clouds and enterprises in real
time. WANdisco customers unleash the business value of the cloud
with zero downtime, data loss, or disruption to fuel AI and machine
learning, create new services, and transform businesses. For more
information about WANdisco, visit www.wandisco.com.