Our remote team of 20, is currently 4 weeks into our experiment with a 4-day work week.
Just for some context, we ditched our office about 3-4 years ago, and have been running fully remote since.
At that time, remote work wasn’t as common as it is now. We saw other companies doing it, and made the bold decision to try it out. That decision was not only a game-changer for our business, but our personal lives as well.
The decision to experiment with the 4-day work week is similar to the decision to go remote. There are companies (and even countries) doing it, but it is very uncommon to say the least. We’re betting that 3-4 years from now, the 4-day work week will be more common, just how remote work has become the norm.
Here are some of my observations and experiences over the last 4 weeks, in no particular order:
- I’ve been feeling much more productive and accountable to myself and my team. There’s something about knowing your work week has shortened, that really lights a fire under your butt.
- I’ve been feeling much more excited and eager to get to work in the mornings.
- Anecdotally, I’ve been putting in more working hours during the day (and night), without even realizing it. And I don’t mind it at all.
- Fridays are not looked at as a “day off”. Although most of the team are still doing some work Fridays, the days feel much more relaxed and calm.
- On Fridays, I usually do tasks that I’ve been putting off, personal hobbies, or admin stuff. I’ve also been loving spending more time with the kids!
- There’s definitely some positive psychological effect about working, and not feeling guilty if you have to step out, or run errands.
- The impact to the team has been incredibly positive. Every single person wants to fight to make this work. It truly could be a life-altering lifestyle change for everyone and their families. Everyone knows what’s on the line.
- Every person on our team has always been so appreciative and grateful to be on this mission with us. Remote work in itself is very unique and possibly life-changing for many families. Adding a 4-day work week to our already incredible culture, really took the appreciation to a whole new level.
- Productivity and Results? So far, there have been no quantitative impacts (positive or negative) from a business point of view. Numbers have been consistent for now, although the data set is still too small to make any judgment.
Our company truly values happiness, work-life balance and doing what we love. We want nothing more than to make this 4-day work week permanent, and we’re pretty confident we can pull it off.
At the same time, this is a business decision. The only way a 4-day work week can be permanent, is if the results and productivity remains or increases.
Only time will tell. Let’s see how this post ages 🙂
