The 9th of February marked three years since we nervously sat down to watch our team appear on BBC’s The One Show. And while a TV appearance is always an exciting opportunity, it was about a whole lot more than PR for us. It was about sharing our experience and flying the flag for something that at the time, felt quite radical: the four-day work week.
The trial
We began trialing a four-day week in September 2021. A combination of factors led to the trial, such as staff survey feedback, the implementation of the four-day week in Iceland, and more focus on staff wellbeing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We’d already introduced other flexible working initiatives during lockdown with positive results, and a shorter working week seemed like the natural next step. Within four months, productivity increased, our team were happier, and we landed seven new clients, so making it permanent seemed like a no-brainer.
Initial challenges
While the four-day week has been incredibly positive for Venture Stream, changing the way you work will always pose challenges, especially in the beginning. No matter which way you slice it, we spend 20% less time in the business, so the way we plan our team’s time, meetings and workflow has had to evolve. We have to continiously put more time and effort into communication and careful planning, to ensure that clients aren’t negatively impacted and that important meetings aren’t disrupted.
How the 4-day week works (for us)
While different businesses implement the four-day week in different ways, we’ve chosen to allow staff to choose which day of the week they take off. There’s also the option to work less hours over five days for staff whp perfer a later start/earlier finish to a full day off. This means that generally, there is always someone working on any given day of the week, which allows us to stay on top of client communications. Of course, clients come first, so we expect our team to prioritise meetings on the rare occasion that they must take place on someone’s day off. We must also add that we did not reduce salary or holiday entitlement. Nor do we expect staff to condense 40 hours into four days – we operate a 32 hour work week and do not take anything away in exchange for this.
The advantages of a 4-day week
Inclusivity
With time, the benefits to working parents have become apparent. A shorter working week and greater flexibility contributes to a more inclusive workplace by allowing both mothers and fathers to be at home more often with their children, which is a small step to reducing the motherhood gap and reducing childcare costs for our staff. An extra day off can also benefit disabled people and those with caring responsibilities by allowing more time to rest, be at home and attend medical appointments.
Mental & physical wellbeing
More time away from work means more time to focus on hobbies and passions and the things that make us happy. It means more time to go to the gym, play a sport, read a book, join a club or simply relax. An ecxtra day off allows us to dedicate more time to activities that better our physical and mental health, helping to avoid stress and burnout.
Better work-life/balance
The main goal of the four-day week is better work/life balance. Less time focusing on work means we can focus on other areas of our lives, making it easier to keep on top of family commitments, housework, running errands, etc, without feeling like we’re drowning.
Improved time management
Less time in the business means we’ve learned to manage our time better. Working hours may have been reduced, but output has not – we simply work more efficiently than we did before.
Three years later
Three years on, the four-day week (and flexible working in general) has become a part of Venture Stream’s organisational DNA. A happy team is a productive team, and we’re proof that the four-day week can and does work.
What are your thoughts on the four-day week? Are you considering making the switch? We’d love to know on LinkedIn or Facebook.
