It may have been only five years since the World Health Organisation declared Covid-19 a pandemic, but the virus and its subsequent lockdowns resulted in seismic, and perhaps permanent, changes in the way we work. Previously only granted to those in exceptional circumstances, permanent remote-working models, or hybrid approaches to attending the office, are now increasingly commonplace; it’s thought around 40% of UK businesses are now offering some sort of flexible working arrangements. Now, some forward-thinking companies are looking to shake up the traditional working model even more.
In a six-long pilot as part of the 4Day Week campaign, 92% of all participating companies (56 of 61) that took part decided to permanently move away from five days working to a more compact four-day model. The study found a 35% revenue increase during that time, with sickness days and turnover decreasing. Now, 200 companies in Britain – around 5000 workers – operate on a four-day working week without any reduction in salary, with some Labour MPs calling for this flexible way of working to be made more widely available.
Traditionalists in the world of employment have questions about how this works without productivity being squandered and chances to make money being lost.
Here Diana Makarska, chief financial officer at Peak – an employment and management consultancy company helping others expand their business globally – explains her company’s journey to their four-day week, and how it’s beneficial to their business.
"We were already a fully remote company. We do not have physical offices anywhere, and our team members are based in different countries. In the past, we had considered implementing a four-day week, but the team was too small. Instead we introduced ‘ultra flexible Fridays’ where team members could decide whether they needed to catch up on their to-do list, complete time-sensitive projects, or take a full day off without using annual leave. It was a huge success, with the team appreciating the flexibility.
However, when the team got bigger, we found we could actually guarantee a four-day week. Our staff is split into two halves: one works Monday to Thursday, and the other Tuesday to Friday. Each team member has a buddy on the other side to hand work over to, and there is no reduction in pay.
“We have not seen any drop in productivity since we introduced a four-day week, but what we did notice is a reduction in sick days. The team overall is more relaxed, refreshed and appreciative now that they have more time to do what they love. For me, I’m a mum. I have two small children, and Friday mornings are the days where the children are in school and my husband is at work. Those are the few hours in a week when I have 'me time' and can do whatever I like. I feel so much better for it.
We’ve also seen the companies we collaborate with consider us as progressive and innovative for our working schedule. We have their attention; we are now seen as a company that can offer unique and different solutions, and that we’re open to change.
Another unintended side effect is that our company has a much bigger talent pool when it comes to finding new employees. We've been able to attract some people from really high level corporate jobs with excellent skill sets because we can offer a different work model that would benefit them more.
The only real issue we’ve found since moving to a four-day model is co-ordinating annual leave. We have a system through which we can see all other annual leave booked, and we have internal agreements about not booking at the same time as a colleague in the same team.
I think employers who are fixed on the traditional means of work should stop focusing on the ‘day’ they lose and instead think about benefits that working four days a week can have – like the incredible talent pool, the deeper focus on work, the fact that employees are more relaxed, more refreshed, less tired and less stressed.
A four-day working week is the future – there is no ‘return to normal’ after the coronavirus pandemic. We’ve now seen workers choosing to have more of a balance between life and work than ever before. People appreciate employers who genuinely care about their wellbeing.”
