, O’Connor oversees six-month boot camps now helping 170 companies with 10,000 participating employees around the world to adopt more flexible work schedules. The New Zealand-based non-profit has signed up employers in the United States, Ireland, Australia and Canada, as well as its home country. In June, 70 companies in the U.K. with over 3,300 employees embarked on a pilot program that includes training, mentorship, data collection and networking, O’Connor said.
A former director of campaigning at Ireland’s largest public-sector trade union, O’Connor came to the U.S. nine months ago, obtaining his visa through the Worker Institute at Cornell University, where he is also a visiting scholar researching work-time reduction. But he had much larger intentions while stateside.
. For example, some parents who participate in 4 Day’s programs opt for five six-hour days a week, while some coders prefer three eleven-hour days. Many companies don’t drop a full day from the schedule right away.Article content