Game Freak Announces Four-Day Work Week Available For Employees Who Need Extra Care For Family

thegamer.com:

Game Freak is following a growing trend in the video game industry by offering its employees a more flexible work schedule. The Pokemon developer has just announced a new four-day work week will be available to employees that are taking care of young children or infirm or elderly family members.

In a press release translated by Google, Game Freak announced its "selective weekly three-day system" will work a bit differently than other studios. Whereas indie studios such as Kitfox Games and Young Horses simply have all employees work four days a week, Game Freak is limiting this option to certain categories of employees. Those that need a little extra time during the week to take care of children under elementary school age, or elderly or infirm parents, can sign up for four-day work weeks.

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The program is being instituted on a month-to-month basis, so those who work four-day work weeks can go back to working five days a week if their situation changes. For example, an elderly family member that needs temporary nursing care might only require extra help for a few months.

Unlike four-day work weeks instituted at indie studios such as Kitfox Games or Young Horses, Game Freak’s four-day week comes with a pretty hefty catch. Working one less day per week will also constitute a 20% cut on that employee's salary since they’re now working 32-hour weeks instead of the full 40 hours.

Flexibility to take care of family is nice, but many game development studios have reported productivity remaining the same or even going up after instituting a four-day work week. And those four-day work weeks aren’t costing their employees a fifth of their paychecks.

Game Freak's announcement