Stellenbosch University
Welcome to Stellenbosch University
Stellenbosch Forum Lecture: Prof Mark Smith
Start: 07/10/2022, 13:00
End: 07/10/2022, 14:00
Contact:Whitney Prins -
Location: MS Teams

​Topic: A Four-Day week: time to work smarter? 

The pandemic has accelerated pressures for greater flexibility around when, how, and where we work. These pressures are not new as organisations have been faced with demands to adapt working time to the work-life integration needs of employees, to reduce presenteeism, for better well-being, and for the requirements of dual earning couples. There is even a question of whether we should share out the work we have to help address high rates of unemployment. Some suggest reduced working time will help with these challenges. The four-day week has been floated as a solution for better work-life integration, better well-being, and greater productivity as well as addressing high levels of unemployment. What does the evidence say about the four-day week? And could it work in South Africa?

Register here: https://forms.office.com/r/LbPfyHfsc2

More about the presenter

Mark Smith is Director of the Stellenbosch Business School where he leads the University's triple-accredited post-graduate school. His research interests focus on careers and labour market policy and outcomes for women and men including working conditions, working-time, and work-life integration. He has carried out research work for a number of European and national institutions. He has been a member of the European Commission's expert group on Gender Equality and has recently finished projects on the impact of the crisis on youth and the role of pay transparency in closing gender pay gaps. He is former Faculty Dean and Professor Human Resource Management at Grenoble Ecole de Management (FR) and prior to working in France he worked at Manchester Business School (UK).