The popularity of New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is currently stratospheric. She has long promoted political ideas that are almost beyond imagination, and recently said she would encourage employees to work only four days a week, which would help tourism, among other things.
When hit by the coronavirus, New Zealand was one of the first countries to react immediately, counting only 21 deaths to date. Ardern?s leadership was praised by the people and in a recent poll, she is the most popular leader of her party in more than 100 years.
Tourism is an important industry in New Zealand, and the prime minister suggested - not formally - in a live Facebook video that the country could switch to a four-day-a-week employment system, which would boost domestic tourism.
The quarantine undoubtedly brought about substantial changes at work - many employees found themselves more productive at home, working hours were reorganized. Working only four days a week will alleviate the difficulties of parents with their children's education, will spend more time together and will positively affect the regulation of social issues, which are sometimes a consequence of workload and lack of holidays. Of course, such a system is not a universal solution to problems, but it is expected to be more productive.
No wonder she enjoys so much popularity, as long as many leaders around the world are pursuing "recovery" strategies, backtracking to cope with the crisis, while Ardern is daring to move forward.
Jacinda Ardern in July 2019 became part of the cover of Vogue as one of the 15 women who inspired Meghan Markle . Two years ago, in September, she entered history books as the world's first leader to appear at the United Nations General Assembly with her little girl in her arms. In April of this year, she was considered one of the women leaders who showed the world how to cope with a situation like pandemic.
Source: The Guardian, Forbes
