How To Shift to a Four Day Work Week (9 Essential Tips)
A five-day work week has been the norm for many years. However, some companies are now considering moving to a four-day work week to give employees a greater quality of life and retain valuable team members. But moving to a four-day work week isn't that simple, so how do you do it?
You can shift to a four-day work week by reducing email and slack use, reducing meetings, and having open communication with employees about what the change means for them and the company. Since there is less time in a four-day work week, employees must always focus on the essential tasks first.
If you're considering shifting to a four-day work week, it's essential to understand all the main points to consider beforehand. This article will discuss the steps to change to a four-day work week as seamlessly as possible, so keep reading to learn more.
1. Reduce Email Use
You'll need to reduce email usage if you want to switch to a four-day work week because there will be less time to get things done. Reading and writing emails can take a lot of time out of your day, meaning you can't focus as much on more critical tasks.
By reducing the time you spend reading and writing emails, you can be more productive with your time; hence, a four-day work week will be easier to achieve. But of course, email is still essential, and you don't have to stop using it completely.
If you're an employer, make sure your employees are only reading and writing emails if it's entirely necessary. And if you're an employee, focus more on the critical tasks you need to get done before checking your emails.
2. Reduce Slack Use
When messaging coworkers on Slack or other team messaging platforms, it's easy to spend a lot of time discussing things that aren't necessary or highly important. Plus, typing and reading messages can take up a chunk of your day.
Therefore, if you want to successfully switch to a four-day work week, you will need to reduce the time spent using Slack and other platforms. If you're an employee, it's good to reduce the use of it so that you can use your limited time to focus on your critical tasks.
And if you're an employer, you should speak with your employees about reducing Slack use to achieve a successful four-day work week.
3. Cut Down on Unnecessary Meetings
While some meetings are necessary, others are not, and they consume a chunk of your day. Therefore, to switch to a four-day work week, you’ll have to minimize the time spent during meetings and cut down the number of meetings the team has per week. You don't have to cut them out entirely, but it's best to avoid having meetings scattered throughout the day.
Employees in meetings can't focus on their tasks, which can cause delays and stress. Additionally, certain meeting behaviors (like complaining and going off-topic) can negatively affect team relationships.
So, while you should aim to reduce the number of unnecessary meetings, you should also ensure the crucial meetings are kept straight to the point with minimal complaining and wandering off topic. If you follow these rules, company morale should increase, and employees will be happier during their four-day work week.
4. Give All Employees the Same Day Off
Most companies give employees Saturdays and Sundays off. However, if you're switching to a four-day work week, you'll need to consider which day to choose as the extra day off. You might consider giving employees different days off, but this might not be the best idea.
When everyone has the same day off, they will be on the same page when they return to work each week. No one will miss out on important things that happened in the office while they are gone because everyone will be in the office on the same days.
Popular days to choose are Mondays or Fridays because these days will give employees a longer weekend (as opposed to selecting a day mid-week).
5. Do a Trial Run First
Before implementing a four-day work week, it's good to do a trial first to see how employees react. It might not be necessary to do a test across the entire company. Instead, you could choose a specific section of the company to trial the four-day work week.
But if the company is small, it might be best to run a company-wide trial.
There are many pilot programs for a four-day work week, including one in the UK. The program in the UK lasts for six months and will give employees a taste of what it's like to have an extra day off.
Trials are good because they give everyone an accurate idea of what the change will look like once it's implemented. It will bring up many pros but may also bring up cons that should be addressed.
When doing a trial run for a four-day work week, be sure to do it for a decent length of time. It's no good to do a four-day work week trial for only two weeks because it's not enough time to get an accurate idea of what it would be like. Instead, do a trial for at least a month.
6. Reduce Workload If Possible
When switching to a four-day work week, there will be less time to get things done. So, to avoid employees being overworked and exhausted, you should aim to reduce the overall workload.
Removing unimportant tasks from employees' to-do lists allows them to focus on what's essential without burning out.
However, if it's impossible to reduce the workload, it's good to teach employees to focus on essential tasks first and not worry too much about less critical jobs. You may also want to consider automating specific tasks to allow your employees to work on other things.
If it's a busy company, reducing the workload might be difficult. Therefore, you could hire more people to combat this difficulty, meaning your current employees won't get overwhelmed. And if you advertise the job as four days a week rather than five, you shouldn't have many issues finding valuable staff members!
7. Discuss How a Four-Day Week Would Affect the Company
Instead of going right into a four-day work week, discussing the change with employees and coworkers is essential. Everyone in the company must know exactly what to expect before switching to the new routine, so having an open discussion and answering common questions is necessary.
There's no question that a four-day work week will affect the company and employees. For example, you might need to change how specific tasks are handled if there is one less day to get them done. That's why it's essential to explain to everyone how the new processes will work.
8. Consider the Pros of a Four-Day Work Week
Changing to a four-day work week has many pros, which is why some companies are considering the switch. Not only does it have advantages for employees, but it also has advantages for the business.
When switching to this new work routine, you want to consider the main pros. That way, you'll have a better understanding of whether or not it's the right choice.
Below are some of the pros of a four-day work week that you should consider before making the switch.
General Workplace Improvements and Happier Employees
A four-day work week will generally make employees happier, so it's essential to inform your team of this pro. Having an extra day off gives people more time to spend with their friends and families, improving overall satisfaction.
Also, according to a study in the International Journal of Applied Engineering Research, companies that promote work-life balance experience improvements in the following areas:
Recruitment. When job seekers see that a position is only four days a week, they are more likely to be interested in the job.
Employee retention. Your employees will be more likely to stay if they can enjoy a shorter work week.
Productivity. Employee productivity is likely to increase if you switch to a four-day work week because people are generally happier and, therefore, more motivated.
Attendance. Attendance will also likely improve if you switch to a four-day work week.
You should discuss the above points with any shareholders in the company; this will give them an idea of how the company could improve if a four-day workweek is introduced.
Decrease in Overhead Costs
Another pro to discuss with employees and shareholders is the decrease in overhead costs. The electricity bills will be lower if the workspace is only open for four days every week. As a result, you could save a decent amount of money.
While overhead costs aren't generally a concern for employees, they are a concern for employees who receive bonuses based on company profits. With fewer expenses comes greater profits, so this could benefit employees. If that's the case in your company, you should explain this benefit to everyone.
Less Time Wasted
Since a four-day work week is shorter than the standard work week, everyone needs to focus more on the most critical tasks. Many companies waste a lot of time on team meetings, for example.
With a four-day week, all of the time-wasting activities can be cut out, which most employees will be happy to hear. Letting your employees know about this and allowing them to focus on their work rather than constant meetings is sure to make them excited about the switch!
Better for the Environment
A four-day work week benefits the environment because people don't have to travel to work as much. And because of this decrease in transport, there is a reduction in greenhouse gasses being emitted.
You also don't need to use as much energy to keep the office running if you switch to a four-day week. Things that consume a lot of energy in the workplace may include:
Air conditioning
Heating
Copiers
Printers
Lighting
Many employees nowadays are becoming more environmentally conscious, so the people in your company would be happy to know that a four-day work week will be better for the environment.
9. Consider the Cons of a Four-Day Work Week
In the last section, I discussed the main pros of a four-day workweek that you should consider. However, there are also cons to think about.
While there aren't as many cons, it's still important to know what they are and discuss them with others in the workplace. That way, everyone is on the same page and fully informed.
Below are the main cons of a four-day work week that you should consider before making the switch.
Less Time To Do the Same Amount of Work
If you can't reduce the workload, a four-day week will mean that everyone has less time to do the same work. This could lead to stress and burnout, so you must consider how this might affect your company.
If possible, it's best to reduce the workload of your employees when switching to a four-day work week. But if you are an employee whose employer is changing to a four-day work week, discuss your workload with your boss to understand their expectations.
Specific Roles Can't Be Done Four Days a Week
Although it's possible to get some jobs done in four days every week, it's not possible with others. You must consider customer service roles, for example. If there is a customer service department, it might need to operate 5-7 days a week.
In that case, working around a four-day week would be challenging. You'd either need to:
Cut the customer service hours, which could lead to dissatisfied customers; or
Allow other departments to switch to a four-day week, but keep the customer service department open as normal.
Conclusion
Switching to a four-day week is an excellent way to boost employee happiness and save on overhead costs. However, you will need to make some changes for the shorter work week to be effective, including:
Cutting down on email and Slack use.
Reducing the number of meetings in a week.
Reducing the workload so employees can focus on essential tasks.
Before making the switch, you should also consider the pros and cons of a four-day week.
Sources
ResearchGate: Meetings Matter Effects of Team Meetings on Team and Organizational Success
Knowledge At Wharton: Can the U.S. Embrace a Four-day Workweek?
University of Phoenix Blog: The four-day workweek: Pipe dream or possibility?