According to the non-profit organisation, 4 Day Week Campaign, nearly 200 UK businesses have now switched to a four-day working week on a permanent basis – and this trend is showing no signs of slowing.
In the last month, as reported by The Telegraph, Angela Rayner’s staff have been hitting the headlines by demanding a shorter working week. If the Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is potentially embracing this in-demand change, the reality is that many HR teams and business leaders, in the not-so-distant future, will be doing the same.
I empathise with Rayner’s civil servants and wholeheartedly believe that a four-day working week would benefit both her own staff and the communities they serve. We have been implementing a four-day working week – with no additional hours or reduction in pay – for over a year now at Peak PEO and in that short time, have witnessed a significant increase in productivity, engagement and overall staff satisfaction.
However, I do appreciate that switching from a five-day working week, like the one we have had in place since the 1900s, to a four-day format can be a daunting step, albeit a worthwhile one. HR teams must manage the move carefully and considerately, and balance the needs of the employee and business in equal measure. Still interested? Here are my top tips for implementing a four-day working week in the right way.
Ensure your policy is a ‘true’ four-day working week
Firstly, to be clear, when I reference a four-day working week, I am not referring to a week in which employees painfully compress their hours across four days so that they can have a fifth free. Instead, I am talking about a ‘true’ four-day working week, with no additional hours or reduction in pay. The former simply does not bring the same benefits to staff or businesses. It also goes against the fundamental essence of the four-day working week – giving people time back rather than redistributing that time – and means that employees lose out by spending even more hours at their desks on the four days in which they work. Remember, get your policy right first, and the rest will follow.
A stepping stone could be the start of success
In 2023, I implemented a four-day working week policy in the form of ‘Ultra-Flexible Fridays’. This meant that my staff had Fridays to dedicate to work if it desperately needed doing or could instead spend the day doing whatever they wanted. This worked to an extent, but I noticed that staff, especially senior members of the team, were still online on Fridays monitoring emails and messages. Fast forward to October 2024, and we now have a true four-day working week at Peak where an additional day off is viewed in the same way as a Saturday or Sunday would be. So although Ultra-Flexible Fridays did not work exactly as I wanted, they did ease my staff into the mindset of a four-day working week and act as a stepping stone towards our success. I would therefore recommend you take a similar approach and get a gauge of how your employees are responding. Are they still working on their day off? If so, why? Do they have any concerns? How can you help?
Believe in the idea and give it time to flourish
If an organisation wants to implement its own four-day working week, it needs to come from the top – and senior leaders have to fully believe in it for it to work effectively. This is because it can sometimes take time for the benefits to become clear and for the process to develop. Stay with it, and I promise you will see how it can transform your business. One unexpected benefit we found in the long-term was that some of our staff are now spending their days off volunteering which is improving their self-esteem, confidence and overall wellbeing.
Split the team and start a schedule
Now that you have the right policy, have trialled the idea and believe in the initiative, it is time to talk about the practical details. For most businesses, simply having all employees off on the same day could cause problems. What happens if something urgent comes in on that day? Who will be responding to emails? This is why it is vital to divide your workforce into two or more groups with different days off to ensure full coverage over the week. At Peak, our two days are Monday and Friday and we regularly rotate staff so that the schedule is fair for all team members. Another benefit we have seen is that when people are working on the Monday or Friday, it is quieter as half the team is off and more deep work can be achieved.
When you split the team, one thing to consider is getting the most out of the three days that everyone is in – you can wipe the slate clean of meetings, and focus on those days to get the important things in. So a week may look like this: deep work, key meetings, weekend. This might mean a little extra planning time too so remember to factor this in as part of the process.
Communication is key
Finally, clear communication is vital to facilitate a smooth transition towards a four-day working week, as well as maintain it once it is in place. As it is a fairly new way of thinking and can cause unease, ensure you plan and communicate the changes effectively – through meetings, emails and Q&A sessions – to inform employees about the process and your expectations. Once your four-day working week is up and running, establish clear communication channels for staff to raise any concerns or ask questions as this will help with their engagement, and ultimately, evolve into them becoming ambassadors for the initiative.
Alex Voakes is the CEO of Peak PEO, the people-led Employer of Record, consistently providing a friendly, expert, and personalised service to support businesses around the globe.
The company has over 25 years of experience in the sector and its people-led approach has been finely tuned to guide its clients through the intricacies of global workforce management and expansion. Peak isn’t just about good business – it is 100% committed to being a force for good in the world.
By teaming up with B1G1, The Better Business Act and 4DayWeek, the company is committing to being a great place to work whilst also giving back to society and the planet.
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