Monday Scaries or Magic Mondays? Tight labour market calls for 4-day workweeks

Canada’s tight labour market has created a war for talent. Proponents of the four-day workweek say it’s an important way to retain and attract workers.

Instead of the “Monday Scaries,” employees of mobile game developer Square Enix Montreal have “Magic Mondays.”

The company instituted a four-day workweek out of necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic but now, the policy remains to help the growing company retain workers in a competitive labour market.

“It started a year and a half ago and it was meant to help employees cope with stress: working from home, homeschooling, having to cope with all that work-life balance in that new working from home situation,” Nathalie Gauthier, executive producer at Square Enix, tells Global News.

“Magic Mondays” give employees every other Monday off, with no reduction in compensation. On Mondays when they’re on the clock, the policy requires all meetings be kept to a minimum to encourage maximum productivity with limited distractions.

“People love it so much, so we decided to make it permanent,” Gauthier explains. “It’s definitely a bonus in terms of retention and acquisition of talent.”

Square Enix has grown from 50 to 150 employees in three years. Gauthier credits this specific perk.

“It’s also a way to put your money where your mouth is. We as a company always say we put employees first and it’s a very concrete measure to be able to do that,” she said.

Canada’s tight labour market has created a war for talent and proponents of the four-day workweek, from private firms to municipalities and politicians, say it’s an important tool to retain and attract workers. Companies from a broad array of industries are grappling to hire and keep employees amid record-low unemployment and an unprecedented number of job vacancies. High burnout rates spurred by the pandemic and the Great Rethink are also prompting many to leave their current role or the job market entirely.