February 2020

Welcome Back,

Drastic change rarely occurs overnight. Change takes time, thought, collection of information, weighing of risks and identifying all potential outcomes. It takes conversation, consideration and evaluation. For our February Newsletter, we analyzed the feasibility of a would-be drastic change to the working world that has recently received worldwide attention - the four day work week. But first, see our Featured Candidates and Positions.

Candidate 1: General Sales Manager

Candidate 2: General Manager West Coast

Position 1: Parts Manager

We have a client in the Upper Midwest that is looking for an experienced parts professional to bring in new ideas and strategies to take their new store to the next level. This parts manager position would be based out of a beautiful, brand new 40,000 sq ft building that was opened three years ago. The ideal candidate is someone that has at least 7 years experience in the parts department of a dealership and has had the opportunity to lead a team. This store has a fantastic opportunity to build a strong wholesale business in the area, so experience in managing and developing a wholesale department, preferably domestic brands, would be ideal. This company is looking for someone that is driven to help their business grow in the market and has the ability to have a strategic voice as part of the leadership team. This person should also have a proven ability to create and foster a great company culture and working environment within the department to maintain employee satisfaction and the retention rates that this company is very proud of. If this opportunity sounds like something that you would thrive in, please contact us at information@tieronesearch.com or call +1-313-887-8300 ex. 106.

Position 2: General Manager: East Coast

Our client is a mid-sized dealer group with rooftops throughout the East Coast. They are looking for a seasoned General Manager to help a store reach new heights in both their fixed and variable operations. We are looking for a driven individual that has a proven track record of leading dealerships to dominate their market in sales volume and revenue. The company values a manager that leads from the front and is active in fostering a collaborative environment and mentoring their leadership team in managing their departments to the best of their ability. The ideal candidate will have a minimum of 5 years of General Manager experience in a mid-size to large store. Having success in turning around a struggling store, or proven track record of significant growth in a competitive market will be necessary. This company can offer a fantastic career with longevity and professional development and pride themselves on building the best teams possible within their dealerships. If you are looking for a challenge and would like to join a successful and growing dealer group, please contact information@tieronesearch.com or call +1-313-887-8300 ex. 106.

If you run a search on the topic of the 4-day work week, you will discover thousands of articles referring to the seemingly successful 4-day work week trial program run by Microsoft Corporation in Japan last year.

By "4-day work week", we are specifically referring to fitting 5 days worth of work into 4 days and receiving the same amount of pay. This concept is based on the notion that employees waste time each day being unproductive at work and so, it is possible to for the same amount of work to be completed in four days, giving employees an additional day off and potentially boosting productivity.

This boost in productivity is exactly what Microsoft reported (40%) after its 1 month trial of a 4-day work week in Japan. The news story drew worldwide attention because of its attractive subject matter - suggesting a hopeful solution for the uphill battle for work-life balance.

As successful as the trial was branded to be in Japan, it is worth noting that there is no further report of working to permanently install the 4-day work week at that Microsoft location. And, in fact there are instances of companies reversing such previously installed policies (see: Harvard Business Review). This seems to imply that it is more of a complicated endeavor than it is publically advertised to be.

As seen in the above chart, there are a variety of benefits and costs reported by companies, States and Countries who have tried introducing the 4-day work week. This again implies that there are some complications to implementing the 3-day weekend. Results may also vary depending on size and structure of the organization, as well as the length of the 4-day work week trial.

This does not, however, conclude that the 4-day work week will never come to be. As historical trends show, since the industrial revolution, work hours have slowly and steadily decreased as productivity has increased (World Economic Forum).

More research and trials need to be conducted in order to fully grasp the effects a 4-day work week would have on the economy and society as a whole. At this point, it is still relatively unclear as to whether the benefits will outweigh the costs over a long period of time.

Sources and Further Reading

Business Insider - "Microsoft experimented with a 4-day workweek, and productivity jumped by 40%"

Forbes - "Finland Prime Minister’s Aspirational Goal Of A Six-Hour, Four-Day Workweek: Will It Ever Happen?"

Globe and Mail - "What would it take to get to a four-day work week?"

Harvard Business Review - "Will the 4-Day Workweek Take Hold in Europe?"

New York Times - "A 4-Day Workweek? A Test Run Shows a Surprising Result"

World Economic Forum - "This is how working hours have changed over time"

You can find us at TierOneSearch.com and connect with us on social media.