Member Article

I’ll Never Be Late For Kick Off Again

An employee of one of the region’s leading charities is celebrating the implementation of the 4-day week as it means he will never miss kick off of his favourite football team again.

Dan works at Citizen’s Advice Gateshead as a facilities officer which involves looking after the building, IT and equipment needs and supporting all the HQ based team with any issues.

Having started as an apprentice in 2013, Dan has always worked full time and has worked his way up to the position. Moving to the 4-day week Dan has approached it slightly differently and has staggered his 4-day week over 5 days, finishing at 1.30 on both Thursday and Friday – popular days for evening football matches. He said:

“Having two afternoons a week to myself means I can much more done outside of work, which means I am more relaxed at work and focused on getting everything done. It means I can meet friends in time for kick off and it has extended my social life already, which is good for my mental health. Also an early finish on a Friday allows me to maximise my weekend fully.”

Dan, who lives at home with his parents in Pelaw, is keen to keep his new hours and says he recognises a similar shift in his colleagues. He sees that the trail-blazing pilot is benefitting its clients with extended hours and services as well as its staff with an innovative way of working that is believed will positively impact on their wellbeing and performance.

Citizens Advice Gateshead is the first one in the national Citizens Advice Network to lead the way with the new model of working which includes the team working 80% of their hours within an extended parameter of delivery hours that will benefit clients who struggle to make appointments between 9 and 5 on weekdays, for 100% of their salary.

Staff have the choice to opt into the programme, which allows services such as the witness support service and the direct hospital access service to be delivered outside of the traditional 9-5 model, on weekdays and over the weekend. This, over time, will enable the charity to better meet the needs of clients at times that suit them.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Anna Toms .