The 4 Day Week – delivering better outcomes for everyone

We have spent many years supporting operational efficiency programmes.

In our experience, it has been consistently possible to identify and guarantee a minimum of a 20% sustainable productivity benefit through embracing essential operational principles and practices. This kind of thinking is at the core of the 4 Day Week initiative that seems to be taking the world by storm.

Initiated by Andrew Barnes, the 4 Day Week Global organisation is looking to support more than 500 businesses across the globe in trials to implement the 4 Day Week as a future operating model. The key principles are around achieving 100% productivity, in 80% of the time, for 100% pay.

The 4 Day Week is becoming an increasingly hot topic, and a UK pilot programme was announced in January this year.

Nicole Miller, Buffer’s director of people said, “If you can cut out 20% of your work week, but still maintain your goals and projects and deadlines then I think that’s a testament to the workweek being a little more flexible” The move to a four-day week is anchored in flexibility, allowing you:

• To spend more time with your family and friends.
• To do more of what you enjoy.
• To be able to perform more consistently at your best.?

So where do you start?

Assuming you buy into the concept and would like to give your team something back, here are a few things to consider.

1. Put your people first

Engage and empower people to come up with their own solutions and give them the choice about whether they want to do it, and how to organise themselves. They will always have the answers – they just need to be involved from the outset.

• Give employees plenty of time to think about how they can work differently and encourage them to produce their own measure of productivity.
• Encourage staff to consider how they can organise time off within teams while still meeting customer and business imperatives.
• Consider introducing an opt-in policy for employees/departments on an annualised basis. An opt-in form can keep track of an employee’s productivity measures and roster information, as well as linking it to company values.

2.?Provide inclusive clarity on outcomes for everyone?

Be clear that the aim of the initiative is to improve things not just in the context of the company, but also within your wider social obligations and everyone’s own personal wellbeing.

• Establish clear personal and team business goals and objectives.
• Consider seasonal workflow differences and ensure the policy can flex appropriately.

?3.?Create a safe space to give it a go

This is not about taking a big bang approach. Start in a small, focused area. Measure and evaluate the benefits for your organisation.

• Ensure you are clear about the measures you are going to use to validate the success of the trial.
• Seek to understand the reasons behind initial challenges and look to continually improve.
• Consider engaging with some independent support who can evaluate your desired outcomes objectively.

Why is now a good time?

Every organisation across the world has had to change and adapt during the past 2 years, as we learnt to live and work with COVID and lockdown restrictions. Well established beliefs and fears that homeworking would result in low productivity were quashed as millions of employees began to work from home. Previously, this had often been a benefit restricted to certain roles or more senior positions.

We have also seen a notable change in the dynamics between employer and employee, with a heightened awareness of staff wellbeing as a key component of the employee proposition.

Latest trends, such as The Great Resignation, are seeing employees re-evaluate their relationship with work. This has resulted in demand for greater flexibility within roles, as well as encouraging people to seek new opportunities. Hybrid and remote working have allowed people to reimagine the career choices.

So, the four-day week is just that, a choice.?

The results

There are, of course, situations where this may be impractical for now. However, for those who can and have already embraced a four-day week as their standard, the results can be impressive.

When Andrew Barnes and the team at Perpetual Guardian, piloted this initially the results were impressive within the pilot period:

• Performance outputs previously achieved in 5 days were achieved in 4 days.
• Stress levels reduced from 45% to 38%.
• Work life balance satisfaction improved from 54% to 78%.
• Team engagement levels increased significantly year on year.

The real benefit for employees is the extra flexibility and time they have at their disposal. This is what was behind the reduction in stress levels, increased work life balance satisfaction and the ability to perform consistently at a desired level.

I will leave you with some final points to consider:

1. How much more likely are your best people to stay if you can give them an extra day off to do as they please, with no loss of income?
2. How much more attractive would your competitor’s job offer be if they operate in this way before you do?

If you would like to explore more about the 4 Day Week and talk about if and how it might be right for your operation, please get in touch.

?Mark Turner – Head of Operational Excellence

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For more information, this article is linked to our Empowered Podcast episode with Andrew Barnes ‘The 4 Day Working Week’.