I’m sure by now a lot of people will have read about Richard Branson’s latest idea. If you haven’t read it, please check it out here http://www.bbc.com/news/business-29356627. Branson has a new book coming out so is this a clever PR stunt? or is he showing us the way forward. Either way the Virgin brand can expect a large number of resumes coming its way. This is an idea I’ve been championing for a long time. Most of the time I have got funny looks, or it has fallen on deaf ears. Now we have one of the most innovative people of modern times saying it’s possible, I for one am curious to see what will happen in the coming months.

So is it really possible that companies will empower their employees by actually allowing them a free reign over when they choose to have holidays? And more importantly are people ready to accept the responsibility that comes with this? As someone who has worked as contractor in the past, I appreciate both sides of the coin. On one hand I’ve had the freedom to move between roles while taking extended holidays, the flip side is I wasn’t paid during the time off, this gave me a greater sense of responsibility. It ensured when I wasn’t taking longer holidays that I was coming in on a Monday morning, and not taking a long weekend just because I felt a little tired.

Here in lies the conundrum, Is the burnt out employee any more productive than the person who doesn’t show up? All of us are affected by external factors, and it is very difficult to leave those issues at the front door of our work place. For instance, a new born is going to affect the level of sleep you get in the first few months. How does this relate to your performance at work? High stress levels are bound to affect an individual’s productivity and creativity. While we all have coping mechanisms to get by, are we really doing ourselves, or our employers any favors by not taking breaks when either our body or mind requires us to do so?

My belief is that staff can be as productive in 4 days as they can in 5. How much time is wasted during a business day? A lot of business practices could be scripted or automated, much the same way an I.T department scripts a lot of processes. What If staff spent less time wading through useless emails? Instead business embraced instant online messaging? I’m pretty sure the majority of people could think of ways to streamline their role. People in general won’t want to say its possible due to the fear of not looking busy. I really do question why certain roles require 60+ hours a week. Surely something has to be wrong with the business model. Obviously they’re certain cases were these hours are required.

Why isn’t this the norm? Why are companies so reluctant to put these practices into the work place? I’d be really interested to hear the feedback from the supposedly maverick companies like Google and LinkedIn. While 9 to 5 is slowly looking like it’s becoming antiquated, what are the chances of a 32 hour week becoming more common place? Let’s be honest who wants to do 4 * 10 hour days? Surely that’s going to have staff over tired, and leaving less time for family life on the days they work. Its seems to me everyone would be better off if there was more time to allow you to continue contributing on the job, while gaining the time to pursue other areas that have long been neglected.