The last couple of years have shown how tired some conceptions have become regarding what it takes to work effectively, feel fulfilled and be successful in many industries. Businesses around the world have discovered that working remotely is a viable option, some choosing only to return to the office part time or even cancelling leases altogether.

This is far from a one size fits all solution though. Abandoning the office was a step too far for us. We really believe that in personal wealth management personal comes first for a reason. Being able to sit down for face-to-face meetings, where we can help you create a financial plan to achieve your ideal lifestyle and retirement, is something we value greatly.

However, we have taken the decision to move to a 9-working-day fortnight, and we want to explain how this will work and why we feel it’s such an exciting and positive change for our team and for you as our clients.

 

Team Benefits of a 9 Day Fortnight

The 9-day-fortnight is set up to give our team every second Friday off, providing a bi-weekly boost to the team’s work-life-balance. While some companies have chosen to incorporate work-from-home days to enhance work-life-balance while maintaining a full 5-day working week, this option didn’t fit our culture of providing personal, face-to-face advice. Instead, the team will be fully present each day they come to work, but enjoy one additional day away from the office and every two weeks.

A recent study of employee’s working 4 days a week (in our industry) has shown benefits including a 38-45% reduction in stress levels! Even though we are adopting 4 days every second week, we hope the team will feel a similar benefit from having extra time to pursue their personal passions outside work.

Client Benefits of a 9 Day Fortnight

First some reassurance. Although our team get to enjoy a 9-day-fortnight, we are still here for you from Monday to Friday every week. Our Hamilton and Stirling offices have been given alternating Friday’s off, so we will never be closed, and someone will always be reachable when you need us.

We actually hope this change will enhance the team’s productivity even beyond that of a 5-day week. Some of the world’s most productive countries, like Norway, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands, work just 27 hours a week on average. On the other hand, Japan is known to work far longer weeks and ranks 20th out of 35 measured countries for productivity. Our goal is to enable the team to bring even greater energy and enthusiasm into each working day, providing you with a better service than ever before.

Employee’s working a 4-day week also exhibit greater job satisfaction, teamwork, wellbeing and company loyalty. We put a lot of effort into training and developing our team, as it’s the surest way to help you achieve the vision you have for your lifestyle and retirement. We also know that you personally invest time in building a trusted relationship with your Lomond Wealth advisor, as well as the wider team. With work-life-balance coming to the fore recently, we want the team to know that they are valued here. So you can continue to rely on their expertise and the relationship you have built together, long into the future.

 

If you have any questions about this change, please get in touch. For now, Happy New Year from all of us and we look forward to seeing you all in 2022.