Disruptions enforced by the global pandemic and rising worker resignations are forcing businesses to look for ways to remain productive while boosting employees’ work-life balance. One of the novel initiatives adopted by decision-makers is the “four-day workweek.†But is it too much of a risk to embrace the concept all of a sudden? Let’s hear from C-Suite experts about five reasons why the four-day workweek isn’t a bad idea at all.
The COVID-19 outbreak has renewed discussions about the four-day workweek model, prompting employees and employers to reconsider the value of workplace flexibility and incentives. Several companies in the U.S. and Canada have taken up the four-day workweek model, at least for a couple of months. A six-month trial, which not-for-profit community 4 Day Week GlobalOpens a new window is overseeing in the UK, has already kicked off. Several IT firms and the crowdsourcing website Kickstarter are among those participating.
The concept is straightforward: workers would put in 32 hours of work instead of the usual 40, four days a week, for the same compensation and perks. It all boils down to working more productively, which includes reducing the number of pointless meetings.
See More: Winds of Change? The World’s Largest Four-Day workweek Trial Kicks off in the UK
Four-Day Workweek: A Hit or Miss?
Giving employees the freedom to rethink where, when, and how they work may have a definite impact on productivity. Employees can focus more throughout working hours by working flexibly rather than less. After experimenting with a four-day workweek, Microsoft Japan reported a 40% increase in productivity improvements and employee satisfaction. Of course, not all experiments with flexible employment had enjoyed anticipated outcomes. Some might argue that the 35-hour workweek France implemented increased vacation time rather than productivity.
Let’s see what C-Suite experts have to say about the four-day workweek. Is it reasonable? Or just a gimmick.
Can maintain strong productivity
Matt DieboltOpens a new window , CTO of Poll Everywhere, has shared insights about his company’s ongoing four-day workweek trial. “The four-day workweek being piloted in the UK is sure to be enlightening, but it doesn’t necessarily mean productivity will reduce.†At Poll Everywhere, we are about halfway through our four-day workweek trial, which began at the start of the summer to understand its feasibility. “In the Product organization, our productivity has remained strong. However, folks have reported that completing their work during three-day weeks due to national holidays can feel more challenging.â€
Diebolt says that the company gave a big push before the trial started to organize departmental meetings and 1:1s for similar parts of the week so that the meetings with mutually exclusive attendees occur on the same calendar time slot. “However, we still have room to improve at eliminating meetings entirely or moving more calls into asynchronous messages or documents.†He thinks that new meetings are almost always well-intentioned. Still, without a clear goal or occasional review, these can turn into meetings we have out of habit rather than necessity. The trouble with this is that it’s “no individual’s responsibility†to ensure the company’s calendar is well-organized.
Though hard to measure, we have received anecdotal feedback from leaders at the company that the Friday off has given them more space to think bigger picture, reflect on what their teams are really trying to do, and have great strategic ideas.
– Matt Diebolt, CTO, Poll Everywhere
Can work with a mutual agreement
Dave MessingerOpens a new window , the co-founder and CTO of Torc, thinks that the 100-80-100 model (100% of the pay for 80% of the hours with the goal of 100% productivity) is a good one, providing the last bit (100% productivity) can be achieved and measured. “Critical to that model’s ongoing effectiveness is the mutual agreement on expectations between workers and employers. If properly applied, 100-80-100 lends advanced opportunities for companies to recognize and reward employees.â€
According to Messinger, the most significant advantages of a four-day-workweek include less staff stress, which should result in more productive resources, a better work/life balance and loyalty.
However, scheduling can be tricky with staff working different shifts. “There must be the right company, culture, environment and supporting tools to make the model effective, which may limit workplace options for talent.â€
Breaking legacy
John W. HealyOpens a new window , the managing partner of the Center for the Transformation of Work, says, “Regardless of days required to work, clarity and consensus on realistic outcomes and accomplishments in the appropriate time needed are paramount.†He thinks “clock watching†is an outdated mechanism for controlling people. The opportunity a modified or four-day workweek presents to advance individual and societal wellness with a better balance in personal and professional life is significant to economic growth and stability.Â
“The future of work requires employers and employees to break some of the legacy cultural norms that hold back innovation, so we can enable the flexibility and freedom needed to truly unlock human and technological agility,†Healy adds.
Working asynchronously
Messinger says that a four-day week can impact the business cycle in a good way. Employers can see better retention, better productivity, and better engagement. Undoubtedly, happy employees bring in better customer experience and team collaboration.
Companies embracing asynchronous teamwork and providing the necessary tools and support will ensure continued productivity. Employees will need to collaborate on documents and deliverables and work asynchronously. Asynchronous allows people to work as much as possible on a topic and easily transfer it to the next resource if they document it well. It also provides more inclusivity and empowers employees to be more effective on their terms.
See More: Is Your Organization Ready for the Four-Day Workweek?
A long overdue shift
Barry MatthewsOpens a new window , the CEO of Open Assembly, believes that moving to an outcome style of work and measuring results rather than focussing on days in an office is likely to be more beneficial and productive. The ideal environment caters to a variety of talent and workplace models. Moving to outcomes and outputs rather than inputs and roles is a long overdue shift away from presenteeism.
“The key benefits of a four-day workweek are reduced costs – in the form of expenses and overhead, happier, healthier, more content employees who feel fulfilled at work and at home, which will ultimately have a positive effect on corporate culture, and improved retention and reduced attrition: employees will see the reduction in expected hours as a significant benefit,†says Matthews.
“I won’t say a four-day week will be a bed of roses. From an employer’s or enterprise perspective, disruption to workflow if the choice about when to work removes critical people from specific activities or decisions that are time-sensitive. Employees may try to fit five days’ work into four and actually end up overworked. Stress and fatigue may result from trying to fit too much into their overall week.â€
The final call
Diebolt says that the critical pieces to focus on that will influence the sustainability of a four-day workweek for business include:
- Clearly communicated company goals
- Explicit understanding of the scope of decision-making each leader has
- Embracing asynchronous communication as an alternative to meetings for making decisions and establishing norms around when real-time communication is required and when async will suffice
- Routinely audited meeting efficacy and proactive elimination of those that aren’t pulling their weight.
Messinger says that the four-day workweek is already a misnomer. Since the productivity of human resources should define success, why not just allow a flexible model (however the employer and employee collectively define it) to let teams set their hours to meet deliverables? “As advanced workplace and team structures evolve, companies that trust, empower, reward and respect workers will yield the best outputs.â€
Do you believe working four days a week would raise your work-life balance? Let us know on LinkedInOpens a new window , Facebook,Opens a new window and TwitterOpens a new window . We would love to hear from you!