Business

Vodafone's early finish initiative gets employees' ringing endorsement

17:36 pm on 20 January 2020

Telecommunications company Vodafone is giving its more than 2000 workers an extra incentive to finish the summer weeks early.

Vodafone says the initiative is a chance to give its workers a break. Photo: 123rf.com

It has announced it will let employees leave at 2pm on Friday afternoons.

People in Wellington were out enjoying Anniversary Day in the sun this afternoon.

The temptation of an early knock-off on a Friday got them excited.

"I think it would be make me more productive having a shorter working week... more effective during the days I am working," one person said.

"I don't think people are very productive during the week anyway and if you shorten it down a little bit and concentrate it - you can get increased productivity," another said.

"More time with the kids and more time at home," a young father said.

Vodafone acting HR director Katie Williams said it was a chance to give its workers a break.

"For us, it's about making sure that our people have the best work - home balance that they can have and given the weather is so fantastic at the moment - we wanted to celebrate the New Zealand summer by giving our people a chance to go home early on Friday afternoons," she said.

She said if work still needed to be done, employees could take another day off another time.

She thought it would have wider benefits to the company.

"It attracts people to join us... it helps to retain our great people and make sure that they want to stay with us and lastly it gives people a well earned rest that they require so when they are working they are doing the very best job that they can," she said.

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It went to a four-day working week permanently over a year ago.

So far, about 75 percent of its 240 employees were working shorter weeks.