Four -day working week – two companies submit their judgment

While the popularity of the four -day working week is increasing in Europe, it is still far from being widespread. As with all changes to work practices, it has its advantages and disadvantages (see Part 1 of this two-part series) and will inevitably meet more employers than in others.

In order to understand this dynamics more effectively, two technology companies agreed to share their findings and experiences with us. Digital Marketing Agency SEOMG! The model has used since the beginning. Learning technology company Thive decided not to continue full -time after a test version. Here is what you said:

SEOMG!

Burnout employee is a major problem with digital marketing agencies because the quick pace is involved in working with several customers.

But as SEOMG! The founders Dan Adam and Luke Smith set up their business in 2020, they really wanted to break with the tradition. As a result, they implemented a four -day model for employees from the start, even though they were operated as a company for five days a week.

The company currently has 16 British employees who are working on Rota. This means that you are free on Mondays and Wednesdays so that everyone can benefit from a long weekend. Cat Goulbourne, the personnel department of the company and a personnel manager, believes that this approach gives advantages for both employees and for the organization:

Although the four -day week benefits all, it applies in particular to parents because it gives additional time to connect with her children and save childcare costs. However, it also goes to the fact that people with caring tasks for older parents and people with chronic illnesses who may have to take part in hospital dates or have more rest days. We have not experienced a burnout here because people are well rested and overall healthier and happier.

This situation leads to the services of the staff and the storage of the company. Goulbourne explains:

When people are happy, they are less inclined to go. The recruitment is very expensive and time-consuming, but since we have such a unique offer, we attract top talents, even if roles are not available. So there is an impact on the binding and minimizing recruitment, but it also helps with attraction, since people nowadays want a better work-life balance.

In terms of potential effects on productivity, it admits that the margins could be impaired, but this depends on the business priorities of how acceptable this situation is or not:

If the priority of the business is to maximize or increase the profit, a four -day week may not work for you, since you may not want to sacrifice any additional day to earn money. But if your business priority is the well -being and sustainability of employees, it works perfectly. We do very well as a business in a four -day week.

Challenges in the introduction of a four -day week

However, there are challenges to do the approach correctly. The biggest, says Goulbourne, refers to the planning:

It requires a lot of logistical planning, which must be waterproof. We have gone through many iterations as a learning curve to ensure that we maintain a high work standard, and quality and efficiency are not sacrificed. For example, we have road maps for a month in advance, if not longer, so we know what we do in advance. We look at the hours in which people work in a month, the expected results and results, deadlines and the like. We also use buffer zones if something changes so that we can react. It is a lot of work and it's not easy, but careful planning makes it work.

This activity is coordinated by the company's account manager, who works with team leaders to plan monthly workloads. Another important piece of the puzzle, according to Goulbourne, is the guarantee of the correct workforce:

We need people in business who are proactive and take the initiative so that the responsibility react and take responsibility in the event of changes. Even the juniors are taught an accountability. A large part of the recruitment is to select people with the right mentality to ensure that it works for everyone. If you have no workforce with these properties, this will not work.

Despite the hard work when securing the four -day week, Goulbourne has no doubt that it is worth it:

I see this as the second wave of the change of change there was a 40-hour week and now we are moving to four days. Companies then opposed, but it became the norm and it will also be here. For me, those who fight it don't understand the main principle: if you make employees happy, they work harder and stay longer.

Thrive

The Learning Tech Company Thrive made the headlines at the end of last year when it decided to take a permanent four -day week after the first medical attempt in Britain.

The goal of the 12-week pilot was to determine whether the approach would increase productivity and efficiency and at the same time improve the work of employee life for the work of the employee. The company used to do a core hourly policy from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from 36 hours a week, which included a four -hour day on Fridays.

During the experiment, working hours were reduced to a total of 34, with the free day being on Fridays. As a result, a cover -rota was set up for the roles that had to be present.

The pilot itself was carried out at the University of Sussex. The researchers collected data on 115 employees of a total of 200 between July and October 2024. Such data came from tests such as MRI scans and sleeping tracking as well as weekly questionnaires on the experiences and well -being of every person.

Customers were also asked to regularly give feedback on the effects of the test version on service quality. Sales and product metrics were also evaluated to evaluate the effects on productivity.

The advantages of the pilot in relation to the well -being of the employees were marked. For example, there was an increase in the participants' work life balance by 22.5%. Overall, well -being increased by 21%, while sleep problems decreased by 20%. Despite a few hours, the employee edition remained the same. Like Cassie Gasson, the company's common managing director, says:

Productivity was not better, but not worse if people were able to do tasks appropriately. With us as a brand and workplace that are large settings factors, the commitment increased by 15%. At the end of the experiment, job satisfaction also increased by 3%.

The disadvantages of a four -day week

However, the results were less positive on the customer side. Gason explains:

What customers missed were called interactions on a Friday when they needed them. Feedback and support are a large part of what we do, and most customers still work on traditional five -day weeks. So we had the feeling that when they wanted to speak to their usual account manager, it was important to do this. If we only work for four days and our competitors work five, we do not have the same reporting. This means that you lose the ability to be so reactive and proactive, especially if there is a time difference. That is the biggest disadvantage.

Another consideration was the fairness at the workplace, since some jobrolls are more suitable for a four -day week than others. Gason points out:

Internally, we found it important to make things fair and consistent. But it would not have been if some people could work for four -day weeks due to the type of their role and others. As a result, we had the feeling that we were not ready to commit ourselves full -time for a four -day week.

Instead, it is now to implement a more seasonal approach. This means that practice will be reintroduced in the quieter summer months – from July 14 to September 8 of this year – while most customers are on vacation.

With regard to the teachings obtained from this experience, according to the walk, it is to ensure that the employees receive enough training, support and time to adapt their way of working and adapt to this type of cultural change. Examples of this are the more thoughtful meetings and who is invited, not least to “protect focus time”.

In addition, she is not convinced that the four -day week is the answer to everything:

It is a catchphrase if the problem is really how you can use the advantages of the more flexible work in a way that meets the requirements of both employees and the company. The more adoption of four -day weeks, the better it is, but it takes a cultural shift and more organizations to buy on it.

It is a kind of chicken and egg situation. More people will certainly beat it, and since it is accepted more often, more people will benefit from it. But until then it's more about flexibility for us.

My attitude

While the advantages of a four -day week in relation to the well -being of the employees are clear, it does not seem to be an approach that is suitable for all organizations or jobrolle. It also requires a lot of planning and in advance process changes to make it effective. This means that it should not be created easily and without thinking.