What’s it like to work at a real estate agency with a four-day week?
What’s it like to work at a real estate agency with a four-day week?
2023-10-20
A major petition in May called for Taiwan to adopt a four-day work week. Although it received many signatures, it was rejected by the Executive Yuan as too difficult to implement. However, a small number of businesses have voluntarily adopted the system. Testimonies from their employees have sparked fierce debate online. Today, we head to a real estate agency with a four-day week, to find out from the manager and the employees what it has done for workplace culture, and for work-life balance.
Most real estate agents in Taiwan have long working hours, and lots of stress. But unlike most, in this agency, they only work 9-5 four days a week.
It’s written in big letters on this job advert outside the agency: “Real Estate Agents Wanted, Four-Day Working Week, 9-5, No Experience Required, Guaranteed Monthly Salary NT$40,000.” The big benefit touted for new hires is the four-day week.
Real estate agent
It’s not that I was envious. It was more like, “How is that even possible? How can a company be so great?”
Ho Chun-ta
Real estate agency branch manager
Lots of real estate agents can do the job. But they can’t do it for long. They get exhausted after a few years, or they can’t take good care of their family. So I thought, a four-day week was a way to allow colleagues to take proper care of their families while working. The number of days off our colleagues get each month went from six to eight and now to 12. And actually, our productivity has grown every year the last few years.
The branch manager claims that since the four-day week was adopted, profits have been unaffected, while overall productivity has increased. In May of this year, a petition called for Taiwan to promote the four-day week. Although it was eventually shot down by the Executive Yuan, a small number of companies did quietly decide to adopt the system.
Member of public
You need to see whether those three days off are really totally off work. Because some will say it’s a three-day weekend, but actually they still give you something to do, so you’re just working at home.
The workplace culture can be quite grim in many Taiwanese companies. Even if the three days off are not over one big block, and even if the salary is reduced, many employees would jump at the chance to take a four-day week.
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"週休三日"連署遭駁回 企業自主辦理羨煞上班族
2023-10-20
今年5月有民眾在公民政策平台連署，希望台灣可以試辦「週休三日」，還真的通過連署門檻，不過行政院最後以實施有難度駁回，引發熱烈討論，但現在有企業默默實施周休三日，員工PO網後，引發熱烈討論，也讓不少上班族好羨慕。
在台灣，大部分房屋銷售員工時長、壓力大，但這裡的房仲卻罕見周休三日。
店門口掛上大大招牌，上面寫著，誠徵「周休三日房仲，9點半上班、5點半下班，無經驗可，還保障4萬薪資」，原來，這裡在招募人才，祭出的福利就是周休三日。
[[房仲業者]]
“不是說羨慕，是覺得怎麼可能，怎麼會有這樣子的，這麼好的公司。”
[[房屋仲介加盟店店長何俊達]]
“大部分的仲介有些會做，做得起來但是他做不久，幾年以後他就覺得累了，或者不能兼顧家庭，所以我就覺得，周休三日是可以讓同仁可以兼顧家庭和工作的一個方式。月休6天變8天，現在是月休12天，其實這幾年每年，（人效業績）都是成長。”
業者強調，實施周休三日後，不僅業績不影響，整體效率還提升。事實上，今年5月有民眾連署，希望台灣推動周休三日，雖然最後被行政院打槍，不過有少數企業已經默默推動周休三日。
[[民眾]]
“就是要看那個三日，是不是真的全部都是放，因為有一些會是三日，但是還是叫你要工作，只是在家裡工作這樣。”
畢竟幸福企業在台灣並不多，能夠周休三日，無論有沒有連休，工時能夠減少，已經羨煞不少上班族。
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民視台灣台（152頻道）週日至週五晚上9:30
民視新聞台（53頻道）週二至週六凌晨1:00
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