Studio Ghibli has produced an impressive body of work that can easily be likened to Disney. While some of its most seminal pieces (Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away) sparked my teenage imagination, the ones I encountered after becoming a father would greatly influence this new chapter of my life.
Our last conversation revolved around Kiki, a little witch operating an air courier service out of a fictional town with breath-taking sea views. Her interactions with the old lady, who requests that she delivers a fish-emblazoned pie, is yet another scene that spoke to the entrepreneur in me.
Kiki’s Delivery Service not only highlights the reward of excellent client service, but also the necessity for it. Not sure about the rest of you, but since COVID-19 hit South African shores, I had hoped that client services would have seen a bit more improvement. This remarkable downturn, however has not stopped Shoprite Group CEO, Pieter Engelbrecht from declaring: “Our 9.6% increase in Group sales equates to an additional R16.0 billion spent with us on our 53-week 2021 base.”
People have to eat and companies have to turn a profit to stay in business. However, the vast majority of companies operating in South Africa can learn a great deal from Kiki and the 4-Day Week. While the traditional workweek currently has a large portion of the workforce suffering from burnout, a day off has the potential to introduce more Kikis into this perilous equation.
Kiki not feeling worthy of her client’s patronage, not only stays to help and create the finished product, but also ends up delivering it (which was the only part she was reasonably expected to play). Positive results have been consistent. The four-day workweek results prove that employees who enjoy just one extra day off come back with more energy, ready and willing to put in that extra effort.
Some may argue that Kiki’s endless ocean vistas and power of flight, gives her the peace of mind to perform optimally, but what about those who do not have the luxury? Maybe some time off today, makes a smile to assist a particularly challenging client, a little more authentic tomorrow?
4DayWeekSA #INFJ #dearINFJ #4DayWorkWeek #4DayWeek #FutureOfWork #NotJustADayOff #Entrepreneurship #LeadWithEmpathy #ProudlySouthAfrican #SouthAfricasDigitalRevolution #HumanEnergy #WorkTimeReduction #WellbeingInTheWorkplace
David-John Wayne Bailey is an INFJ from Cape Town, a proud pioneer pilot participant of 4 Day Week SA and an advocate of a four-day week for everyone working in South Africa.