Embracing work-life balance: Shenzhen company implements four-day work week

A foreign trade company in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, recently announced that it will implement a four-day work week, allowing its employees to enjoy a paid day off every Wednesday, in a bid to boost their efficiency and creativity.

The company's manager, surnamed Xu, said that the decision to introduce the four-day work week was made after considering the needs of its employees, many of whom have children. As a result, the company has adjusted its working hours to start at 10 am and end at 4:30 pm.

"Since we are a small company with only six staff members and everyone treats it like their own, if there's an urgent matter, employees will handle it even outside of office hours," explained Xu.

Several companies in China have experimented with the four-day work week this year. In August, education company Fengxue Weilai, founded by online influencer Zhang Xuefeng, introduced a rest-on-Wednesdays schedule. Additionally, companies such as Nike Greater China, LeEco, and Ctrip have also implemented shorter or flexible work weeks.

The news has been met with envy and admiration from netizens, many of whom commented that they are "companies of others" and saying that these work policies should be implemented more widely.

However, for the majority of company workers in China, such flexible work arrangements are still not available. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, the average weekly working hours for company employees nationwide in October was 48.7 hours, equivalent to working 6.1 days based on an eight-hour work day.