The owner of Ireland’s largest rug retailer has heralded the success of its four-day working week. In April this year, Kukoon Rugs, implemented a four-day working week across its business, with no reduction in pay for its employees.
The loom to room specialist distributes 2,000 rugs per day from its headquarters in Newry and, after a six-month review of the scheme, has said its new way of working has been a great success, both for its employees and the business.
Having just opened a new 1,600 sq ft concept store in Newry’s Quays Shopping Centre, Kukoon is actively recruiting for a series of roles in its busy Belfast showroom. It currently has a core team of 45 employees and also plans to launch its own e-commerce training academy, Krysalis.
To ensure Christmas demand is met, a five-day working week is in place between October and December, while a four-and-a-half-day week (with the half day spent working from home) will be implemented from January through March.
Kukoon Rugs
The firm’s Managing Director Clare Vallely says the flexibility this working week offers has been welcomed by staff and has been of no detriment to the business which is fully focused on its expansion strategy.
“We are operating a four-day working week for six months of the year, and it has been very successful,” said Clare.
“We have been through that phase of our year now, and it’s clear our people enjoy it, and the business hasn’t suffered. There are no pay decreases and people don’t have to work longer hours on one of the four days they are working, it really is a day off, not a day in lieu.
“We had been thinking about implementing a four-day working week for a number of years and when we were bringing people back into the office, after lockdown, we saw it as an opportunity.
“People want that bit of flexibility so we thought bringing the four-day week in would be a good balance and it has really worked well so far.”
With the Irish carpet and rugs market set to surge in value from €101.2 million in 2023 to €131.3 million by 2028, Kukoon is projecting profits of £1.3 million this year, on a turnover of approximately £13 million.
The rug retailers Director of People, Simon Ward, said the firm’s focus is on the value its people add, not the hours they spend in work.
“We are a people first company. We have a fantastic team who are experts in their field, who can deliver when it really matters,” explains Simon.
“They don’t need to sit at a desk for 40 hours. We know a balance between work and family life is crucial to our peoples’ success, and we feel passionately about giving that to our employees.”
With over 35,000 five-star customer reviews, Kukoon Rugs is the number one destination for rugs online. And, with free delivery on all UK and Ireland orders, you can elevate your rooms, one rug at a time.
