** NOTE Change in starting time to 4:30pm and change in Venue to Templeman Library. (see below for details)

The new Finnish PM has just announced that Finland will be moving towards a 4 day week and a 6 hour working day. Many consider this bonkers, whilst others argue that this may be the way forward, especially when we consider the impact of long hours work on our health, society, and the environment.

Alex Soojung Kim Pang has been hugely influential through his previous book REST, where he talks about why working shorter hours, with clear breaks outside of work, proper hobbies and naps(!) can actually make you more productive . His book has been translated into dozen languages and has been covered by international media, such as the Guardian, and the New York Times.

In his new book Alex turns his focus towards the employers' side, and how we can change organisations to become more productive through a 4-day week. The new book Shorter tells the story of entrepreneurs and leaders all over the world who have discovered how to shrink the workweek without cutting salaries or sacrificing productivity or revenues. They show that by reducing distractions, eliminating inefficiencies, and creating time for high-quality focus and collaboration, 4-day workweeks can boost recruitment and retention, make leaders more thoughtful and companies more sustainable, and improve work-life balance.

(NEW UPDATE 31/01/2020) Alex Pang is joined by the CEO of Perpetual Guardian, Andrew Barnes and the CEO of the 4 day work week campaign Charlotte Lockhart. Perpetual Guardian has risen to world-wide fame due to its implementation of the 4-day week in 2017.

Programme

16:30-16:35 Welcome

16:35-17:05 Alex Pang Talk

17:05-17:15 Andrew Barnes/Charlotte Lockhart talk

17:15- 18:00 Q&A with Alex/Andrew/Charlotte

18:00 - 19:00 Wine reception for all atendees (at the Templeman Atrium)

Talk organised by the School of Social Policy, Sociology, and Social Research at the University of Kent.

The event is free and open to all.

More information about Alex Pang

Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, PhD, has spent two decades studying people, technology, and the worlds they make. A Silicon Valley-based futurist and consultant, he has worked with governments and Fortune 500 companies; spoken at venues ranging from CIA headquarters to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre to the Googleplex; and held academic positions at Stanford and Oxford universities. His last book, Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less, is available in a dozen languages.

For more about Alex see: http://www.askpang.com/

For more about Shorter see: https://www.publicaffairsbooks.com/titles/alex-soojung-kim-pang/shorter/9781541730700/

More information about the Venue

The Templeman Library is situated in the middle of the University of Kent Canterbury Campus. The entrance of the Lecture Theatre is at the back of the Library building (Grimond Entrance). Those of you coming with a Bus please stop at the Science Building stop and walk towards the back of the building / and those coming with a car, the closest car park is the Gulbenkian car park.