Questions about the #4DayWeek
Welcome to another Flexible Success newsletter. Each edition includes a thought, a quote, a question and an interesting read - all related to flexible work. It's designed to be quick and easy to digest, and to provide you with some food for thought for the week ahead.
A THOUGHT
There is a lot of media coverage lately about successful #4DayWeek trials. For those following closely it's exciting stuff. For those who haven't yet investigated the concept in detail, I've noticed it's raising a lot of questions! As I talk with people about it, there are two questions in particular that I'm regularly asked:
1. How does it work?
The #4DayWeek, as defined by 4 Day Week Global, is based on the principle of 100:80:100™ – 100% of the pay, for 80% of the time, in exchange for 100% of the productivity or output. Or in other words, employees get an extra day off per week, while retaining the same pay, as long as they continue to deliver the same outputs.
The idea is that there should be a lot of flexibility in how the reduced hours are implemented. Some organisations will give everyone Friday off, and others will have people take different days of the week off. Often employees can choose to work 5 shorter days (e.g. school hours) instead of taking a full day off. It's all about finding win:win options that work for employers and employees alike.
When it comes to ensuring outputs remain the same, 4 Day Week Global say that almost all companies that move to a four-day week do three big things: radically shorten and reform meetings; use technology more thoughtfully and mindfully, and; redesign the workday to build in distinct periods for focused work, meetings, and social time.
2. It sounds like a great idea, but what if our organisation isn't yet ready to take the leap?
If they haven't already, your employees will soon be asking about the #4DayWeekand whether your organisation will consider it.
If you're not yet ready to take the leap, I'd strongly encourage you to start designing a future-focused flexible working strategy that centres on other forms of time flexibility. Part-time, job share, compressed work weeks, asynchronous working and rostering flexibility should all be considered.
Having these other forms of time flexibility available, encouraged and role-modelled by those in senior roles, will go a long way to demonstrating your commitment to keeping pace with the future of flexible working.
A QUOTE
"The five- day week is a nineteenth-century construct that is not fit for purpose in the twenty-first century."
– Andrew Barnes, founder of 4 Day Week Global
A QUESTION
Is a #4DayWeek trial something your workplace might consider? If not, what other forms of time flexibility could you embrace?
AN INTERESTING READ
Same workload, same pay, longer weekend. Is Australia ready for a four-day week?
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