The 4-Day Work Week Experiment: Insights from a Tech Company Leading the Way

The pandemic has caused a lot of people to rethink work.

We saw this start with the big shift to remote work. Now we’re seeing a new shift to shorter work weeks. In one US study, 80% of respondents said that the pandemic increased their desire for a 4-day work week , and 9 of 10 respondents said that the 5-day work week was outdated.?

And a lot of companies are starting to try it out! 61 UK companies recently participated in a study where they switched to a 4-day work week for six months. The results ??

• Employees reported lower stress and better health.?
• Commuting declined, proving that the 4-day work week benefits the planet.?
• None of the participants want to go back to five days. *shocker!*?

But these aren’t the only benefits. Here at GoLinks, we’ve been a 4-day work week company for some time. In this article, we’ll share the benefits we’ve seen as a tech company — and the potential challenges that need to be addressed for a rollout of this scale to work.

What does the 4-day work week look like??

There are two main types of 4-day work weeks :?

1. 4-days, 40 hours

Employees still work the same number of hours as a 5-day work week, but they are given the flexibility to do 10 hours days instead of 8 (in order to work less days).?

2. 4-days 32 hours (or less)?

Employees work normal 8-hour days but only work 4 days. For example, 4 Day Week Global uses a 100-80-100 model. That means that employees get 100% of their pay for 80% of the time spent at work while maintaining 100% productivity.

The pros and cons of a 4-day work week for tech companies

Switching over to a 4-day work week is an ordeal. Companies have to formulate clear guidelines. Employees have to rearrange their schedules, meetings, deadline, etc. So what makes it all worth it??

4-day work week pros?

Better Work-Life Balance

According to this four-year study of 2,500 employees with 35-36 hour work weeks, “worker well-being dramatically increased across a range of indicators, from perceived stress and burnout to health and work-life balance.”

Higher Productivity??

Let’s address the question you’ve likely been wondering. Will productivity go down if employees work fewer hours? The answer is surprisingly no!??

After switching to a 4-day work week…

• Perpetual Guardian reported a 20% gain in employee productivity .
• Microsoft Japan saw a 40% productivity boost across the business .

Reduced Turnover

Since employees are less likely to burn out with a 4-day work week, they’re less likely to leave your company. Plus, once you start working 4 days, it’s hard to return to 5. For this reason, employees will often stay at these jobs longer.?

Hiring Advantages?

Employers can use the 4-day work week as a significant advantage while hiring. Offering a 4-day work week is an attractive perk for potential hires, giving the company a competitive edge in the job market.?

4-day work week cons?

The “grey zone”?

When the 4-day work week isn’t rolled out properly, the extra day off can easily turn into a “grey zone.” Employees may wonder:?

• Do managers still expect me to be online and available??
• How is this different from a remote workday??
• Am I expected to perform at the same output as before??

? Pro tip: Set boundaries, specific rules, and clear guidelines about accessibility and availability on your employee’s flux days to avoid discrepancies.?

Disengagement

Shorter work weeks have shown a higher percentage of disengaged employees. Why? If burnout and stress are at an all-time high, then having one less day may only add to the problem.?

Gallup found that the percentage of actively disengaged workers was highest for those with four-day and six-day work weeks. They concluded that the relationship between time, work, well-being, and employee engagement was complex—and couldn’t be solved by a one-size-fits-all approach.?

?Pro tip: Employers should focus on improving the overall work experience for their employees before they consider switching to a 4-day work week.

Can tech companies succeed with a 4-day work week?

In a letter to Airbnb employees , co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky wrote, “To pull off this level of flexibility, we need ample structure and coordination. Without it, things would become a free-for-all.” The same applies to all companies testing or rolling out 4-day work weeks.

Things to consider

• Will you follow the 40-hour or 32-hour work week model??
• What level of autonomy do employees have for their flux days?
• How will employees get their work done?
• How will you maintain productivity?
• How will you maximize efficiency and resources?
• How will you streamline operations, task management, and communications?
• How will you manage knowledge sharing?

Keys to success

• Set clear goals, priorities, guidelines, and expectations.?
• Empower managers and teams with more agile processes (this may mean fewer meetings!).?
• Give your team tools to help them work smarter, not harder (like GoLinks).

A productivity tool to support your 4-day work week?

Here at GoLinks, we help employees make the most of their time at work by making resources super easy to find and share. In fact, we’ve helped companies like Hopin save 25 hours per week .?

Our internal link-shortening tool lets you turn any long URL into a short, memorable go link like go/email or go/presentation.?

Want to see how GoLinks can support your 4-day work week??

Try GoLinks for free and start saving time! Also, GoLinks currently has a 4-day work week trial going — and we’re hiring. Check out our latest job postings on Linkedin .