Melville responds to cost of living crisis with move to four-day week
The switch to a four-day week will initially be on a 12-month trial basis but will become permanent as long as performance levels are maintained.
Dalkeith-based Melville Housing Association has become the first registered social landlord (RSL) in Scotland to announce plans to adopt a four-day working week as a partial solution to the worsening cost of living crisis.
In plans approved by Melville’s board, and backed by 65% of tenants, from the start of the new year, (1 January 2023) Melville staff will no longer work on Fridays while retaining full pay. The switch to a four-day week will initially be on a 12-month trial basis but will become permanent as long as performance levels are maintained.
Melville said that the benefits seen elsewhere of a 32 hour four-day week (down from a 35 hour five-day week) include a better work-life balance, reduced stress levels, improved mental and physical health and a more sustainable lifestyle.
Kirsten Dean, Melville’s Head of Finance and Corporate Services, said: “Melville, like many other employers, is in a very difficult position just now. Everyone knows how tough things are for customers and staff alike, however, we simply don’t have the money to make salary increases in line with sky-high inflation, not without passing the cost on to tenants or slashing budgets elsewhere.
“The solution we arrived at is one that is being successfully trialled elsewhere but that hasn’t yet been adopted by a Scottish RSL. It rewards staff for their hard work and dedication not with money but time. It’s not a perfect solution but it’s a compromise that both staff and customer’s support. We’ll be putting in place measures to ensure that we maintain our high service levels, and we’ll be monitoring performance closely throughout the year.”
Tenants can already make payments, report repairs, and check their rent accounts 365 days a year at www.melville.org.uk but Melville will also be working to improve digital services throughout the year. The normal repairs service (not the out of hours service) will continue to operate on Fridays, meaning customers will still be able to arrange appointments and book in routine repairs.
Melville Chair Donna Bogdanovic said: “All of us on the board are proud of this innovative solution to a difficult problem. This year, more than ever, it’s been tricky balancing the needs of customers against the needs of staff, but there was just no way we could propose a rent increase anywhere near inflation and neither do we want to drastically reduce services. This solution will allow us to keep any rent increase to a minimum while helping staff get through these challenging times.”
Melville is the first RSL in Scotland to trial a four-day week but not the first in the UK. Causeway Irish, a London-based housing association, was among the first to adopt the new working practice in 2017 and has found it to be positive, leading to benefits, including increased productivity and reduced staff sickness.
Visit www.4dayweek.co.uk to find out more about the four-day week.