
Pioneering New Work Styles
Ricoh Latin America Announces 4-Day Workweek Pilot Project for Employees in the Region
Ricoh's purpose for the centenary of its founding in 2036 is "fulfillment through work." This concept promotes several actions focused on the well-being of its employees as the main factor to help create a better society through the sense of accomplishment in their day to day.
They provide and promote the use of technology and digital services so that team members can be productive and creative. On the side of the company's organizational management, they are betting on new work styles that personalize the experience, so people can better balance their personal and professional life.
In this context, Ricoh Latin America is announcing the expansion of a pilot project that began last year, with weeks of four days in two of its operations.
The second phase will begin on July 1, 2022, and will initially last two consecutive months (between July and March), and the fourteen subsidiaries of the Region will participate. Regarding enabling this model and maintaining a high level of customer service, the day off will be rotated per person and as applicable; for some, it will be Friday, and for others, Monday. Ricoh employees in the Latin American Region will work four days a week without increasing the daily shift hours and with the same salary.
To carry out this pilot and to guarantee the continuous services to all its clients, the company has been preparing for several years, developing channels such as its e-business platform, a specialized inside sales team, the Ricoh Solutions Hub, and its footprint coverage in the Region through its subsidiaries and indirect channels.
The company's management will evaluate and measure indicators related to productivity, balance, health, and impact on the organization, among others, to assess the viability of the project's permanence.
"We are proud to be the first region in the world where Ricoh has a presence to enable the four working days concept, following our vision of "fulfillment through work." This people-centric approach drives the evolution of various aspects of the company: digital and physical spaces, processes, and culture. To achieve this, close collaboration between all business departments is essential", explains Lorna Hernández, Vice President of Human Resources for Ricoh Latin America.
With this innovative commitment, Ricoh became one of the first companies to evaluate this type of initiative and joined several multinational companies that have obtained favorable results in productivity, innovation, and well-being of human capital. Recently, a study by the Icelandic government was published in which, from 2015 to 2019, this Nordic country carried out large-scale trials of a reduced workweek to a range of 35 to 36 hours without lowering wages. This report concluded that, with this decrease, people are happier, healthier, and more productive.
"Transformation within companies is no longer an option for sustainable growth and developing a better society. At Ricoh Latin America, we are committed to accelerating these processes and enabling actions so that the people in the company have the tools to become true agents of change in their families and communities", concludes Diego Imperio, President, and CEO of Ricoh Latin America.