Survey finds that majority of workers would swap jobs for 9-day fortnight

A survey has found that 76% of employees would be tempted to move to an organisation that offered a nine-day fortnight, where they compress ten days’ work into nine and have an extra day off every two weeks.

The survey, conducted by Hays Ireland, received just under 1,600 responses from Irish employees. 

Commenting on the findings, Hays Ireland managing director Maureen Lynch said: "There’s no shortage of working approaches for organisations to choose from, including hybrid and remote working, the four-day working week and the traditional 9-5 in the workplace". 

The findings are based on our survey carried out between 14th April and 15th May 2023 that received 1,597 responses from across Ireland.

"Whichever approach they decide to take, leaders across Ireland are continuing to try to get the balance right between what workers want whilst maintaining their productivity and building a strong organisational culture," Ms Lynch said.

New approaches to working, such as the four-day working week, are becoming more widely known and trialed following recent pilots, the report notes. 

A total of 27% of employees working in an SME prefer to work fully in the workplace compared to 13% working in large organisations.

The survey also found that 70% of employees aged between 30 and 39 would prefer to work in a hybrid way compared to 60% of those over the age of 50.

86% of employees think it’s important for flexible working options to be included in their contract. 

68% say the use of hybrid or remote working is included in their contract.

84% of employees would be tempted to move to an organisation that offered greater autonomy in the hours they choose to. work