We’ve talked a lot about our 4 day work week, but we want to clear up how it really works for us. It’s not as simple as logging off on Thursday and ignoring work until Monday. Our 4 day work week is all about flexibility and getting things done effectively. It’s not just about working less; it’s about working smarter. Working for a small business takes a lot of passion and commitment. We do enjoy the longer weekend! But we also focus on being fully engaged and focused when we are working, and getting everything done so we hit our goals as a team. We like to think of that fifth day of the week as a flexible, meeting-free day for overflow tasks or personal time. Sometimes, team members might need to check in or finish up a few things. Other times, they can disconnect and use it for personal time. It’s all about taking ownership of our work and being flexible. Have you tried out a 4 day work week? How’s it going for you? If you haven’t, do you think it’s something your team could benefit from?
No meetings Friday's is something most companies should adopt.
I have seen a similar approach to mostly offline or async work one day a week or month. For awhile I had Mondays blocked for internal meetings only, Tuesday-Thursdays were the only days open to external meetings, and flexible Fridays where if work was done our team logged off, or just was available for client requests via slack/ticketing/email-- but was able to already on the move for their weekend. What matters most, is the transparency and clear management of expectations when giving so much autonomy so it can be used to the individual benefit of each employee as well as the org as a whole.
My 4 day work week was a true 3 day weekend, unless I was on-call. It was the best schedule.
How has your (Buffer) or others language shifted with this approach? It seems naturally motivating to power through on your goals to get to a stopping point for the week... instead of just grinding along, filling a seat because the clock hasn't run out yet. What has been useful to shift from a time based culture to a goals based culture? I do want to move in that direction for my team but have never worked in this type of environment.
As someone who has just left a very toxic job, I cannot thank you enough for being so kind towards your employees. Good luck :)
If people need to work on that day, especially if it's required, then it's not a 4 days work week. Not a pure 5 day work week either but 4 days is an abuse of language...
Love the shift some companies are making to treat employees more like people instead of another number amongst many. I feel this style of work appeals to hardworkers even more. Work hard, get your work done and you get rewarded!? Sign me up!!! I would be interested to know how much of a difference it has made on the quality of employees too? 🤔 I need to join a team that has a 4 day work week to experience it for myself!
That's an amazing approach because normally in 5-day work weeks, many times employees have to do some leftover work or some urgent deliverable is required on Saturday. And then you get just one day to relax, do chores, and also find time to spend with family and friends. This made even weekends too stressful.
In my neck of the woods, implementing a 4-day would be superb, how it sounds by your description - nice!
Assoc. Director, SEO at Amsive
1moHow much of your team actually ends up doing work on that 5th day more often than not? The way you describe it aligns with how I've seen "unlimited pto" work. People just use less and work more. Do you have measures in place to help ensure that your people are getting that personal time more often than not?