The four-day work week concept has been around for a long time, but garnered significant attention with the COVID-19 pandemic, when businesses were forced to switch to remote working. A four-day working week, also known as a compressed work week, does not mean fewer hours in a week, just that the traditional 40 hours per week is worked over a four-day period instead of a five-day period. Seugnet van den Berg from Bizmod Development says large traditional office-based organisations may find implementing the four-day work week for ICT and dev teams a daunting task.
She says that based on a recent trial Bizmod undertook, it is clear that with the right rules and guidelines in place, it can result in a more productive and happier workforce. Before an organisation implements a four-day work week, there are a few basic rules that should be put in place to ensure the work arrangement is properly structured and communicated to everyone involved. Van den Berg lists below some essential rules to consider:
- Core working days and hours: Implement a specific time window that employees are required to be online. This period should be long enough to provide adequate collaboration time, but not so extensive to exhaust employees. For example, Monday to Thursday, 8am to 5pm, can be a reasonable core working period.
- Flexi hours: Allow employees to work outside the core working hours, as long as they complete their daily and weekly hours.
- Meeting times: Schedule meetings within the core working hours to ensure maximum attendance.
- Public holidays: Establish a public holiday policy – if the public holiday falls on a Friday, employees still need to complete a four-day week, and if it falls on a Monday or Thursday, they do not have to.
- Eligibility: Determine who is eligible for a four-day work week. For example, new employees may need to work a five-day schedule for a specific period before transitioning to a four-day schedule.
- Add value: Make it clear that employees are required to add value and cannot be passengers on the team. This creates a sense of responsibility and promotes a results-driven culture.
- Discretionary: The four-day work week should be discretionary and agreed with the line manager. It should not be assumed to be automatically applicable.
- The agile way of working or the more traditional way can work: With the agile model, ceremonies can have an impact on momentum; however, a four-day week has more hours a day, so the disruption has less of an impact.
- Selective: The whole team needs to work in a specific model. Employees cannot alternate between a four-day and five-day schedule.
The Bizmod trial saw employees working Monday to Thursday and adhering to the rules outlined above. In the beginning, the team found the longer working hours to be draining and challenging. However, after two weeks, they had adapted to the new rhythm and momentum. They felt the four-day work week allowed for a longer period of actual work with fewer interruptions. Despite the longer working hours, they found it easier to focus and concentrate since they had a longer rest period. They also appreciated having an extra day off, which allowed them to pursue personal interests and hobbies.
The trial provided some insightful learnings from a manager's perspective. Setting the core working hours established a routine and sense of structure, and ensured that everyone was available during the designated collaboration time. Secondly, many of the challenges associated with managing people diminished, for example, requests for personal errands during working hours, as these could now be done on Friday, and excuses for being late to work or not being able to complete tasks were no longer relevant. Lastly, the amount of sick leave declined and people really seemed to be happier, more productive and well rested after a three-day break.
Share