Remember that J.G. Wentworth commercial from the early 2000s where people shout, “It’s my money, and I need it now!” Well, nowadays, some workers may want to shout, “It’s my four-day workweek, and I need it now!”

Some 54% of employees say they’d work longer days if they could have a three-day weekend, while 37% would switch companies or industries to do the same, according to an August Bankrate survey. Gen Z workers in particular want a shorter workweek.

But a four-day workweek doesn’t just stand to benefit employees—employers are reaping the rewards, too. Some European companies that have tried adopting a shortened workweek have seen higher levels of employee productivity and happiness, and lower levels of absenteeism and quits, as a result, according to the World Economic Forum. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that 30% of US CEOs surveyed by KPMG in February said they were considering work schedule shifts, including shortened workweeks, for their organization.

HR Brew spoke with three leaders whose companies have adopted a shortened workweek. In doing so, they learned that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach.

Keep reading here.—MC

Paid leave is table stakes in today’s workforce. And because there’s no federal policy, employees are at the mercy of their state’s paid leave program (if there even is one).

That’s where employers come in. Make the case for internal paid leave with Cocoon’s paid leave cost-analysis tool.

Your paid leave policy isn’t just a reflection of how much you value and support your employees—it’s also a smart business decision. Without a paid leave policy, companies miss out on top talent and lose internal rock stars.

Whether your employees are navigating parental, medical, caregiver, or bereavement leave, Cocoon’s leave management platform simplifies the process. So you can support your team through whatever life brings.

Learn more.

Traveling or living abroad without having to quit your day job is quite the dream. But as countries and companies continue to evolve their remote work policies, one country is making digital nomad life more difficult.

Where in the world? Portugal has experienced an influx of foreign workers since the onset of the pandemic, thanks to remote work policies and incentives put in place by the government. But the policies, known as the “golden visas,” have had some negative effects, including an increased cost of living and Portuguese graduates seeking jobs elsewhere.

In response, Portugal began tightening its rules for digital nomads in 2023, according to AllWork. The country ended the non-habitual residency income tax incentive and, most recently, eliminated a rule that allowed non-EU citizens to live in the country without an employment contract, Fortune reported. The latest move largely impacts low-income workers without steady contracts, who were otherwise allowed to live and pay social security in Portugal before securing work.

Satellite view. Countries including Japan, Thailand, and Italy expanded digital nomad opportunities earlier this year. This is happening as many employers in the US restrict remote work options.

Keep reading here.—KP

There’s a serious disconnect between employers and employees on the tech skills gap, contributing to issues like short-staffing, burnout, and project abandonment, and how to resolve it, according to a recent survey.

IT edtech company Pluralsight polled 1,400 tech pros and found just 33% of executives surveyed said they fully understood what IT skills their teams need—and their staff has noticed. Among technologists who replied to the survey, 68% said their leadership wasn’t aware a skills gap existed at their organizations.

Skills gaps have serious consequences both for individuals and organizations, the survey found. Virtually all (96%) technologists said their workloads have increased as a result of skills gaps, while 78% of respondents said their organizations had abandoned a project midway because they didn’t have staff with the necessary IT skills to complete them.

Drew Firment, Pluralsight’s VP of enterprise strategies, said that many executives chasing investments in new technologies have neglected to pay the same amount of attention to the human element.

Keep reading here on IT Brew.—TM

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