Indonesian firm Alami shortens work week to boost productivity and spirituality
JAKARTA – Indonesian Sharia peer-to-peer lending firm Alami has begun adopting a four day work week to boost the mental health and productivity of its employees.
Dima Djani, CEO of Alami, said its 300 employees are now allowed to take Fridays off so they can have more time with family, hobbies or praying. The company provides several optional prayer activities on Friday such as reading Surah Al-Kahfi and Islamic studies.
This aligns with the company's campaign of prayer-work-life balance with programs such as reading and memorizing Al-Quran each morning. “We see our employees as not only numbers. At the end of the day, they are all human beings with various needs. No one wants their job to become an additional reason for stress. We hope our employees can work happier and healthier, both physically and mentally, so they can improve their productivity and working spirit,” Djani told Salaam Gateway.
He said the company will evaluate the four day program in the next three months before making it a permanent policy. The initiative was inspired by Henley Business School’s whitepaper “Four Better or For Worse?” released in 2019. It revealed that 64 percent of 505 UK business leaders reported increases in staff productivity and work quality due to a reduction of sick days and overall increased well-being.
Employees across the world have been facing burnout during the Covid19 pandemic, leading to significant turnover rates. In the US, more than 4 million people have resigned since April, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Indonesian fishery startup eFishery implemented a permanent work-from-anywhere policy last month to maintain the mental health of its nearly 700 employees.
Meanwhile, Indonesian state owned train operator PT Kereta Api provides psychological counseling for some 30,000 employees via telephone interview, chat, or video calls. The counseling is not limited to work issues, but also covers family and personal problems that impact productivity.
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