The shift to a 4 day work week has been gaining momentum since 2022, and for good motive. As an answer for folks struggling on account of pandemic-related stress, office stress, overwork and burnout, and the pressures of each day lives, 4 day work weeks can be a part of the reply.

And 4 day work week experiments are not occurring in a vacuum by progressive firms. CNN named it one of many 9 most necessary new concepts in enterprise. Globally, nationwide governments have even sponsored trials of 4 day weeks.

And 4 day work weeks don’t simply influence workers’ well-being, research have proven there are social, financial, and local weather advantages, along with a optimistic impact on the corporate’s backside line.

On this publish, we’ll outline the 4 day work week, element the positives, and share our personal expertise adopting this mannequin, together with poignant recommendation from our CEO to firms hoping to emulate our instance.

Compressed vs Lowered 4 Day Work Weeks

To be clear, we’re speaking a couple of lowered 4 day work week.

A 4 day work week might be described in two methods: compressed and lowered. A compressed work week divides a 35+ hour workload over 4 days with the identical wage and advantages as a conventional five-day work week. A lowered work week removes eight hours from the worker schedule, lowering complete working hours to 32 per week over 4 days with the identical wage and advantages as a conventional full-time place.

The 4 Day Work Week Is Undeniably Constructive: for Us and the Planet

Analysis performed by the non-profit group 4 Day Week International exhibits the clear good thing about a 4 day work week mannequin. The group studied 33 firms in 6 completely different international locations that decreased their worker’s workload to 4 days (32 hours per week) throughout a six-month trial. The experiment questioned whether or not workers may very well be as productive in 20 p.c much less time on the identical pay. The outcomes had been astonishingly optimistic. 

Corporations revealed a income improve of 8.14 p.c through the trial, and an unimaginable 37.55 p.c improve in comparison with the identical six-month interval the earlier yr. New hires elevated by 12.16 p.c over the course of the trial. Maybe much more unimaginable, these outcomes got here through the “Nice Resignation,” a time in 2022 when employees had been quitting their jobs at document charges on account of burn-out, want for a greater work-life stability, and feeling that their jobs weren’t assembly their expectations.

Worker satisfaction was at an all-time excessive through the trial, with 96.9 p.c saying they positively needed to proceed having a 4 day work week. They reported a decline in stress and burn-out, elevated productiveness, and better job satisfaction. Staff had been capable of spend extra time with household and mates, sleep higher, and improve time spent exercising.

A lowered work week has additionally confirmed important environmental, financial, and social advantages. Carbon emissions lower with much less commuting and workers socialize extra with a three-day weekend. In flip, this helps companies and, in some international locations, desired inhabitants development. Japan, for instance, has traditionally had an intense working tradition: “karoshi,” a time period which means “loss of life from overwork,” was coined within the Seventies. Nevertheless, the nation just lately launched new tips to encourage firms to make a shift to a 4 day work week in an effort to encourage a more healthy work-life stability. Japan hopes that anticipating the additional time without work will push residents to spice up the financial system by spending more cash, and even result in elevated marriage and delivery charges. 

Why We Jumped On Board the 4 Day Pattern

Because of the pandemic, many firms are placing work-life stability entrance and middle, and a 4 day work week generally is a large a part of that effort. With happier, well-rested workers, firms see a rise in income and productiveness, and giving workers extra flexibility — lowered hours and distant/hybrid work preparations — helps retain the workforce members they’ve invested money and time into coaching. As evidenced by job websites like 4DayWeek.io, worker demand for the 4 day work week is excessive.

At SPI, a 4 day, lowered work week was carried out to start with of 2022 throughout a trial interval. The outcomes from the workforce aligned with the worldwide research cited above. Staff reported they had been extra motivated and productive, accomplished duties on deadline, supported one another extra, and felt a stronger sense of connection inside the workforce. Staff additionally took the additional time to select up new hobbies, train extra, full housekeeping forward of time, and have extra high quality time with household and mates. Unsurprisingly, we’ve determined to maintain the 4 day work week in place completely.

“Don’t Rush It”

The 4 day work week has undeniably been a house run for Staff SPI. So what would we advocate to different firms hoping to observe go well with? Right here’s what our CEO, Matt Gartland, needed to say about it:

“As Uncle Ben famously mentioned to younger Peter Parker, ‘with nice energy comes nice accountability.’ 

“The 4 day work week is a superb energy for the trendy office. It is a real aggressive benefit in addition to an embodiment of necessary cultural values. It is undeniably the way forward for work, particularly for these of us who run remote-based firms with distributed groups. It could foster nearer togetherness inside the workforce. It could nurture extra dedication to the mission of the corporate at giant.

That is all actually superior. It is also actually severe.

The other of these outcomes is feasible with a hasty implementation. Particulars are essential to outline and align on expectations for the way the 4 day work week goes to truly work in addition to how its effectiveness goes to be evaluated. Here is the massive one: Below what circumstances may the 4 day work week be deemed to be ineffective and thus topic to rollback?

At SPI, we devoted loads of time and power to defining our tackle a 4 day work week. This system particulars had been the topic of energetic conversations with the workforce. Those self same working particulars had been codified formally into our governing worker handbook. This course of took months. That is the way you deal with this superior alternative with the respect it deserves.

So lean into it. It is price it. Simply do not rush it.”

Staff are happier to work for a corporation the place they really feel valued and appreciated. It’s unlikely that the world will make the shift to a 4 day work week in a single day, however firms are realizing that to retain workers and entice new workers they should embrace a more healthy work-life stability. The momentum behind the 4 day work week continues, and we’re eager to see what optimistic, compounding results it reveals.