How a 32 Hour Work Week Can Be Implemented

Implementing a 32-hour work week can be challenging, but it’s not impossible. More and more companies across the world are testing this 4-day work week model, and the majority of them are more than happy with the results. So, how to successfully implement a 32-hour work week? 

A 32-hour work week can be implemented if the business is suitable for such a model and the employees are open to it. Implementing this model will require time to plan everything, coordination between different teams, and reducing unnecessary activities that waste time, such as meetings.

In the rest of the article, I’ll take you through some points you should consider before switching to a 32-hour work week. Additionally, I’ll give you some general tips on how to implement this particular schedule in your business. 

The 32-Hour Work Week: What You Need To Consider

Although the idea of a 32-hour work week’s been with us since the 1950s in some form, there’s still confusion about this model. There’s the additional fear from the employers’ point of view about the lowered number of hours designated for work in a week. The concerns are natural, and recent research and implementation give us some answers.

There Are Two Types of 32-Hour Work Weeks

Just like there are two main types of a 4-day work week for employers and employees to choose from, there are two main types of a 32-hour work week that some companies have implemented.

The first type is tied to the 4-day work week model, and the schedule is designed to have four working days (therefore, a 4-day work week) and the three remaining days as “rest days.” It means that employees work eight hours a day for four days a week to reach those 32 hours a week. So, a typical number of hours a day. 

The second type, however, looks a bit different, and you might need a calculator. Instead of four days, employees continue to work for five days, but instead of eight hours a day, you’d only work for about six and a half. This isn’t a 4-day work week model, but some employers prefer this schedule. 

It’s definitely something to think about before switching completely to a 32-hour work week. As a matter of fact, California might be the first US state to make 32 hours a week the official schedule for larger companies.

The Implementation Takes Time

Many people think that switching their entire business operation to a 32-hour work week (or any other model for that matter) can happen immediately. The fact is you need weeks, if not months, to prepare a plan and create workable schedules. 

After that, implementing the plan itself takes months for employees to get accustomed to the new schedule and for results to start showing a clearer picture. Then there are weeks to evaluate the results. It’s a long process, and you’ll need some patience. 

The implementation time also depends on your business's type and size. It’s not the same if you have a small business with a few employees and if you run a corporation with hundreds of employees, numerous teams, a board, and multiple managers. Larger companies require more time and money to have a 32-hour workweek model up and running. 

It Doesn’t Work for Every Business Model

Another big mistake employers make all the time is switching to a 32-hour workweek model only to find that it doesn’t work for their business model. Because of that, they lose customers, money, and valuable time. 

Some more flexible business models can switch to a 32-hour work week and still continue to be profitable and productive. However, that’s not the case with every business (unfortunately). Companies working with customers will usually have to hire additional staff to cover all the working days for their customers. 

Before switching to a 32-hour work week, consider if your business operation can continue being productive under a schedule that reduces the number of hours worked in a week. 

A 32-Hour Work Week Is Beneficial for Everybody

The 4-day, 32-hour workweek model, is an amazing model that benefits everybody. If the business is suitable for this model, employers, as well as employees, will experience those benefits quickly. 

The most significant benefit is an increase in productivity. Even though employees work 32 hours a week instead of the traditional 40 hours, productivity actually grows. The reason for this increase is that no employee is productive for eight hours straight during a working day. 

However, productivity can be increased when you give your employees an extra day off to recuperate, see their family and friends, and complete their personal obligations. 

Employers also benefit from a 32-hour work week since it means less spending on energy bills and food for the extra day off. This is a fantastic way to save money without reducing your employees' salaries. 

Finally, this model helps the environment as well. When employees don’t have to come to work for one extra day, emissions reduce significantly, making our planet cleaner and safer for living. So, when I say a 32-hour work week is good for everybody, I mean everybody!

How To Implement a 32-Hour Work Week

If your business model is suitable for a 32-hour work week, then, generally, the implementation process is the same for every company. There will always be some unique factors in your company that might pop up, but with a good organization, well-devised plan, and hard-working team, there shouldn’t be any issues. 

So, let’s take a look at some of the most important steps on how a 32-hour workweek can be implemented. 

Take the Time To Plan Everything

As I already mentioned, switching to a 32-hour work week isn’t going to be a quick transition. It usually takes months just to plan and put everything to paper. Obviously, larger companies will need to invest more time and money, but they usually have more qualified teams that deal specifically with planning. 

When a New Zealand company, Perpetual Guardian, switched to this model, it took them about ten months to come up with a workable plan. That certainly puts things into perspective. You shouldn’t rush the planning process because that’s the foundation from which everything starts. 

Your company’s plan should definitely include the schedules employees will work by, future expectations in terms of cost and productivity, and all the necessary financial and logistical requirements your business will need for a successful switch.

Involve the Employees

You can’t get very far if your employees are unhappy. That’s why it’s important that you include the employees in every decision-making process and hear what they have to say. After all, they’re the ones who’ll be affected the most by the new schedule.

You should have discussion sessions with your employees to talk and discuss if a 32-hour work week is something they’d like to consider. The results of numerous questionnaires suggest that most employees prefer a 4-day workweek model, including a 32-hour workweek shift. 

However, you should still sit down and talk with everybody and try to find some of the concerns other employees might have with the schedule; that way, you can improve the initial plan. 

You should always remember that you won’t get an increase in productivity if the employees are unhappy with an imposed shift change that they didn’t even want. 

Coordinate Everything and Everyone for a Smooth Run

Once you have a plan and the employees are on board, it’s time you coordinate all the teams so there aren’t any delays or issues with the schedule. This is a crucial step you shouldn’t skip. 

Remember, we want productivity, and we can’t have that if different teams do different tasks without any form of communication or coordination. 

A 32-hour work week can be especially challenging to coordinate because the same amount of work is left for employees to do, but they lose eight hours a week to do it. So, coordination is crucial here. 

For successful coordination, have your project managers and team leaders constantly communicate in shorter intervals just to be on the same page about the current project or product they’re working on. 

Prepare Project Leads and Managers for a New Schedule

In a way, this goes hand in hand with the previous point, but bringing your leads and managers up to date about the new schedule and expectations can positively improve the implementation process. 

I talked about coordination, which is definitely one step in preparing higher-position employees such as managers. However, another important step is training them for the 32-hour work week. This means more time and money being spent, but it’s something that needs to happen. 

You can’t have project leads who can’t lead their team members according to the new schedule. That way, everything turns to chaos pretty quickly. So, once you train your managers and leads, they’ll be able to work out their own plans with their teams. Additionally, they’ll be able to train other team members. 

Change the Dynamic of Your Work

When you have 32 hours instead of 40 a week for work, it becomes obvious pretty quickly that some non-essential things will need to go, or at least change. Companies and employees that don’t adapt to the new schedule find themselves exhausted and with decreased productivity. So, what needs to change?

Say Goodbye to Unnecessary Meetings

Okay, the fact is: nobody likes meetings, especially when they drag on for two hours. Plus, businesses realize once you remove meetings from the schedule, the world keeps spinning. So, two birds with one stone. 

Many companies who switched to a 32-hour work week removed or reduced meetings to save valuable time for more productive work, and it helped! So, reduce meetings to only those essential ones.

Hallway Chat Needs To Go

Let’s be honest, our typical work day consists of approximately three to four hours of productive work, and the rest is meetings (which we took care of above), lunch breaks, and chit-chat with your colleagues on your way to print something. 

Once you switch to a 32-hour work week, hallway chat about last night’s episode of your favorite TV show will have to wait for a lunch break. You simply won’t have too much time to chat. Otherwise, the work pile just keeps growing, and suddenly you find yourself working on your days off to catch up.

Communicate With Others Via Social Media

So, how are we supposed to coordinate between teams and colleagues when we don’t have meetings or hallway chit-chat? Well, thankfully, we’re living in the age of social media, which is just as great for business as it is for family and friends. 

Talking with your colleagues via social media platforms (some companies even have their own communication platforms) is a quick and easy way to convey essential information without wasting too much time. 

Collect the Results and Evaluate the Situation

Once the trial period in your company is over, it’s time to collect the results. The implementation of the 32-hour workweek model should last for a few months and up to a year even, and that’s not counting the planning stage. 

The reason you want to have an extended period of the new schedule model is to have the employees accustomed to it fully. Additionally, your entire business operation will possibly switch to a 32-hour workweek schedule, so you want to see how everything functions for a longer period of time, not just a few weeks. 

When the results of continuous observation are in, they serve you as the most objective indicator of whether a 32-hour work week is better for your business and the employees. However, subjective data, through employee surveys, is also something you should take into account. 

Final Thoughts

Opposite to popular belief, a 32-hour work week isn’t less productive than its traditional 40-hour counterpart. What’s more, research shows that a 32-hour work week can increase productivity and decrease costs if this model is suitable for a particular business. 

A 32-hour work week can be implemented through:

• Careful planning.

• Involving the employees in the process.

• Removing unnecessary time-wasting activities.

• Through constant evaluation.

Sources

• The Four-Day Week: White Paper: Guidelines for an Outcome-Based Trial - Raising Productivity and Engagement

• Forbes: Company Strategy for 32-Hour Work Week Increases Employee Productivity, Collaboration

• DeskTime: How to Implement a 4-Day Work Week (By Someone Who’s Actually Done It)

• University of Reading: What Does the Four-Day Workweek Mean for the Future of Work?

• ProQuest: Four Factors Influencing Conversion to a Four-Day Work Week

• CNBC: California Considers a Shortened, 32-Hour Workweek for a Larger Companies

• indeed: 9 Benefits of a 32-Hour Workweek (Plus Tips for Switching)

• The Washington Post: How a Four-Day Workweek Could Be Better for the Climate