Following discussion with their staff and a trial period, mobile game studio Fingersoft are to adopt a six-hour, five-day workweek with 90% as their new official policy.
The makers of Hill Climb Racing are offering this as an alternative to their usual eight-hour workday, after previously experimenting with the new concept of a four-day working week.
CEO of Fingersoft, Jaakko Kylmäoja reported that they believed this would be the most beneficial alternative working arrangement “Projects that improve the well-being of our employees have been a central part of our operations throughout our ten-year history. The two-part working time experiment we conducted in 2021 to 2022 proved that there are ways to significantly improve the well-being of employees while the level of productivity remains the same, or even increases.”
“The now introduced permanent welfare benefit gives employees the means to better balance their work and free time. In terms of productivity, we have noticed that the better our employee’s well-being is, the more valuable his or her work contribution and impact on the atmosphere of our workplace is.”
Working 9-3 or 4ish
Fingersoft’s decision to make this unusual new policy marks the experimental nature that many studios have taken to their working arrangement following the need for remote-working during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, this new six-hour work day is certainly still unusual, as lately the focus has been firmly on the four-day working week.
Judging by the reaction of employees, the new option has been positively received, as noted by UI artist Julianna Kähtävä who said “Short working days suit me better than the four-day working week. Working days feel lighter and there is more time for hobbies and recovery every day. I also believe that even if I had an extra day off every week, I wouldn’t be able to activate myself in the same way. I like to stay involved with what goes on in our working community and be at the office every day.”
Fingersoft’s investment into employee retention and wellbeing is not surprising as many companies are wary of increased competition and the need beyond money to try and retain their working staff. Especially where talent is as vital as in mobile game development and worker-friendly practices have become the norm.
