Following a successful trial earlier in 2022, Stratum Consultants, one of the Bay of Plenty’s leading land development and land utilisation consultancy firms, has implemented a reduced working week closing its offices every Friday at noon.
Chief Executive Officer Mel Lewis says, ‘Stratum has always been a people centric organisation, but we’re particularly proud to be leading the way with a true reduced working week for our people’.
Believing that a level of flexibility is now expected in any workplace, and this approach not always supporting the creation of the ‘well’ workplace desired, Stratum trialled a reduction in working hours with its employees working 36 hours each week but being paid their full-time salaries.
The six-month trial was successful, and the change has now been implemented.
Ms Lewis says, ‘the benefits of a ‘well’ workplace are widely known, with improvements in retention, productivity and engagement.’
There have been benefits from a recruitment perspective too, with Ms Lewis stating ‘we have experienced increases in applications for vacancies, and we’re contacted regularly about possible roles in the future.’
When asked about impacts on profitability, Ms Lewis advises “we have not seen a direct correlation in profitability, and our customers have not been impacted either, which is pleasing.
“The initiative does have a cost to the business, but the Directors see our reduced working week as an investment in the health and wellness of our people and their families, which supports better long-term results in an increasingly competitive marketplace.”
Stratum Consultants has a strong presence in the Bay of Plenty and the central North Island.
With approximately fifty team members based throughout Tauranga, Rotorua and Te Puke offices, comprising of Civil Engineers, Structural Engineers, Geotechnical Engineers, Resource Management Planners, Surveyors, Project Managers and Administrators.
Related: Stratum Consultants: Supporting BoP land development
