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Wednesday
Off

Here, the work week has only four days

Adopted in March 2022, the 4-day week is living proof that we have always been at the forefront of the technological market, and now also at the forefront of the Brazilian job market.

Our passion for new trends, innovations and experiments is now beyond our digital products to reach the well-being of the people who create them: our employees.

Those who work at NovaHaus have a day off on Wednesdays, to take care of their mental health and enjoy all the benefits our company offers, such as Gympass, Netflix and Spotify. All this without a pay cut.

We are the third company in Brazil to follow this way of working in the general segment, and the first in the technology field.

The world has changed and so have we

Even before the pandemic, NovaHaus already adopted a flexible work system. The arrival of this global challenge made us put something we've been wanting to do for a long time into practice: finding the perfect balance between personal and professional life. After a year of studying and planning, we started our 4 month experiment with free Wednesdays.

Quality of life and productivity

Resting generates motivation which generates productivity. The math is simple. Our goal is providing a lighter routine, and consequently, more productive. This relation between leisure and labor productivity was found by Henry Ford in 1926, when he stablished Saturdays and Sundays as days off for his staff, concluding that testing on weekends would make them more productive, reducing absenteeism and improving efficiency.

Multinational companies like Microsoft, Unilever and Perpetual Guardian have already proven the benefits of a four-day workweek. Besides improving productivity and reducing unexcused absences, as predicted by Ford when he created the weekends, this new system helps avoiding mental exhaustion and makes meetings faster and more objective. We expect that this new way of working can make it possible that everyone to find a more balanced way of life, just like it happened in those companies.

To measure the level of staff satisfaction and evaluate productivity, we will carry out several surveys over the 4 months of testing. In July 2022, NovaHaus will decide the next steps, based on the results collected.

Sustainability

Having one workday less also means reducing resources that would be used. With Wednesdays off, our employees won’t need to come into the office, which means less fuel consumption and reducing the carbon footprint. Our collaborators will have the opportunity to enjoy their days outdoors and this has a direct impact on saving water, electricity and even office resources that would be used if they were at the office. It’s a bonus that this new way of working can bring, looking towards contemporary issues.

Frequently asked questions

Why did NovaHaus decide to do this experiment?

NovaHaus CEO Leandro Pires and his partners Ginaldo Terêncio and Leonardo Santuci had been developing the idea for some time. With the pandemic, new work settings and the mental health of employees were the big triggers that made us put this plan into action.

Will NovaHaus employees have a salary decrease?

No. All wages and benefits were maintained, and are guaranteed in an individual employment agreement. It is an innovation change, as we firmly believe in new work settings and the advantages they can bring in the short, medium and long term.

What will the workdays be like on holiday weeks?

Our challenge was to adapt this international work model to Brazil, due to the number of holidays we have here. The Board has decided that when we have a holiday week, Wednesdays will count as a regular working day.

How long will the employees work?

Outside of the experiment, the workday at NovaHaus is 42 hours a week. With the 4-day week, it becomes 34 hours a week, fixed in an agreement valid from March to July 2022.

What about the customers and the work team?

We are a technology company, specialized in creating digital products for major national and international brands. Our service team will have the same reduced workload, that is, 34 hours a week, however, on duty on Wednesdays.