PowerUp: Does the 4-day week actually work?

In my opinion, a better work-life balance creates happier people. Happier people work harder, can see the bigger picture more easily & therefore drive better results.

So giving your team flexibility is important. The days of strict 9-5, Monday-Friday work structures are long gone. 

More & more employers are introducing 4-day work weeks, early finishes, late starts, remote working, unlimited holiday & so on. 

But it’s not something done lightly, speaking from experience. 

Today, I’m diving into how these different benefits affect productivity & effectiveness as well as how I’ve successfully implemented a 4-day work week across the team.

💡 How has Scale Up introduced a 4-day work week?

The team is goal-focused rather than time-focused. 

It’s not about how many hours we’re glued to our computers but how much we achieve for our clients each week.

I started testing this with one of my first team members, Ness Kent. After six months, I was convinced Ness wouldn’t be able to deliver anymore by working an extra day. Additionally, she approached each week with enthusiasm & focus. This gave me the confidence to roll it out to the rest of the team.

Naturally, this is a much easier process for a team of 6 (like us!) than a team of 600.

It’s a constant test & one we always monitor carefully. A business with low margins can’t survive if we don’t work as effectively as possible.

Things we look out for:

• Is everyone focused?
• Do they know what to do? 
• Do they have everything they need to achieve this?

Things we do to enhance our productivity:

• Start each Monday morning with a meeting to discuss the week's focus & goals followed by statuses for our clients.
• Deep dive working sessions on Tuesday mornings to tackle the bigger jobs.
• Morning stand-ups to ensure we all know what needs to be done.

The main thing is about managing time. 

The team are incentivised to be as focused as possible to ensure work doesn’t spill over to Friday. And this very rarely happens.

A note about culture…

Someone said to me, “It can’t work as my teammates email on a Friday with what they need as that’s when they have the headspace”. 

• None of us have ever emailed each other on a Thursday afternoon or Friday morning with a last-minute request. 
• We’ve never had a client complain that the team aren’t available on a Friday.

If you’re interested in how we make a 4-day workweek work for us. Here are our ways of working for the 4-day week.

💭  The team’s thoughts on our 4-day work week

👍 “I’m definitely more focused & productive having shorter work weeks, maybe as there’s added pressure that we have deadlines to reach so every hour counts during the four days.”

👍 “I feel lucky to be working for a company that has a 4-day work week & this motivates me more than it has in previous roles to always perform at my best.”

👎 “Sometimes, with deadlines to reach & one less day, I find myself working late & starting earlier which can get tiring & feel stressful.”

👍 “I’m happier & have way more energy having that extra day every weekend. I run a small business on the side so it gives me time to do that without taking up my weekend as well as seeing friends & family.”

Key takeaways 

👉 A better work-life balance creates happier people. Happier people work harder and drive better results.

👉 We are all goal-focused rather than time-focused.

👉 Time is relative and figuring out how and best you can work improves efficiency dramatically.