Jennifer Whitmore TD, Social Democrats spokesperson on Children, has backed calls for the Government to commission an expert report to examine the feasibility of a four-day working week.<\/p>\n
Deputy Whitmore made her comments after attending a public briefing event by the Four Day Week Ireland campaign this morning.<\/p>\n
She said:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Social Democrats fully support this proposal and believe there are many societal and economic benefits that would accrue from the introduction of a four-day working week. The results of a survey carried out by the campaign show very strong support for such an initiative by employers and employees alike.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe recent campaign to extend maternity leave highlighted a strong desire by parents to find practical solutions to achieving a sustainable work-life balance. The introduction of a four-day week would provide greater flexibility for both parents in terms of sharing childcare and would put family life front and centre of employment policy.<\/p>\n
\u201cMore flexible working arrangements would also be welcomed by those who are caring for an older person or a family member with a disability.<\/p>\n
\u201cInternational experience has shown increased levels of productivity and enhanced job satisfaction for employees who are permitted to work a four-day week without loss of pay. This is a win-win situation for employers and workers.<\/p>\n
\u201cCovid-19 has led to a seismic change in workplace norms and shows that employees and employers can adapt to new practices when required. I believe the time is now right to explore different models of how we work.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is clear from the uptake of existing flexible work options that there is a high demand for change. A four-day week is already available and promoted in many other countries and the outcomes have been generally very positive.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt this morning\u2019s briefing, F\u00f3rsa called on the Enterprise, Trade and Employment Committee to commission an expert report on the feasibility of a four-day week. This evidence-based approach is strongly supported by the Social Democrats and is similar to what we proposed in our party\u2019s manifesto.\u201d<\/p>\n
September 17, 2020<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Jennifer Whitmore TD, Social Democrats spokesperson on Children, has backed calls for the Government to commission an expert report to examine the feasibility of a four-day working week. Deputy Whitmore made her comments after attending a public briefing event by the Four Day Week Ireland campaign this morning. She said: \u201cThe Social Democrats fully support […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1192,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[268,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-jennifer-whitmore","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n