Is the four-day working week right for you?

The UK Labour Government are considering changes to the Government’s Worker’s Rights, which will grant employees rights to choose a four-day working week. There are various models involving reduced working days and/or hours already in countries like Iceland, Belgium, Japan and the UAE, which was one of the first countries to officially move to a shorter working week. Currently the UK is considering an option where the working hours will not be reduced but the employees will be able to change their contracts by compressing their working hours. For simplicity if your contract is 40 hours a week, instead of working 8 hours each day, you will be able to work 10 hours over 4 days. 

A brief overview of the sectors shows that tech companies are already at the forefront of flexible working arrangements and many tech start-ups offer a compressed working week as a competitive advantage to attract talent. While Microsoft in Japan was one of the first tech companies to implement a four-day working week in 2019. The results reported were impressive: a 40% increase in productivity and a 23% reduction in electricity costs.  

Beyond tech, other industries have also embraced the four-day working week. In financial services, the UK bank Atom made headlines as one of the first to implement it. Professional services, healthcare, education and the public sector offer flexible working arrangements with the University of Warwick being a good example of that.  

The Pandemic, Gen Z and Alpha now entering the work force, and the adoption of AI are reshaping work preferences to include considerations about increased productivity by output rather than the number of hours worked, better work-life balance, and of course environmental impact.  

And while we are still waiting for the reforms to be officially introduced by the UK Government and to get more research data on the impact of reduced working days from those places where it has already been implemented, it is worth evaluating if this new ‘enhanced’ option is right for you.

There are various aspects to consider, which I will group into two main categories:

• Work Related: job role and industry, company and its culture, career prospects
• Personal: financial considerations, personal life and well-being

Work Related Aspects

Ask yourself the following questions:

• What is the company’s position around flexible working arrangements?

If the amendments to the Government Worker’s Right happen, the four-day working week might still be an optional extra for employers. You will need to check if the organisation you work for is open to flexible working arrangements. Research into the industry and conversations with the HR team will help you find out. You will need to consider whether your line manager will be supportive of your four-day working week.

• What evidence can you offer to suggest that your role is conducive to compressed working hours? 

Consider evidence that the role can be delivered in a four-day working week. Compare with colleagues in similar roles and industries. Talk to WBS alumni who can share their experience of working with a compressed schedule. Plan what steps you need to take to ensure at least the same level of productivity and embed time management strategies (Pomodoro, MoSCow) for tackling all your job responsibilities.

• How will working longer hours benefit the organisation, the key stakeholders, including your clients?

If your clients operate from different time zones, you can consider how adjusting your service delivery will align with the standard business hours of these clients. This approach could prove advantageous for both your clients and your organisation and could be a good reason for you to work into the late afternoon and early evenings, for example.  However, you need to make sure that the extended working hours will not impact on the quality of communication or service your clients and stakeholders receive.

• How do you work under pressure?

It might sound a strange question to pose here, but working a compressed working week requires you to work longer hours and deliver the same outcome in four days. Longer hours can certainly put pressure on people and you need to be honest with yourself if you would be able to handle this. Very often a consideration for working a compressed week is your overall well-being and reduced stress. Assess strategies to help you working longer hours. Be aware of the peaks of your productivity and plan the workload accordingly. If you are more productive and full of energy at the beginning of the day, make sure you take on the challenging tasks then, while leaving the more mandate activities for the afternoon. Consider techniques for maintaining focus and managing time effectively. See what technology can support you in this. Tools like Trello, Asana, PowerAutomate are great for helping with scheduling and automating routine tasks.

• How your compressed work schedule will affect your team and colleagues?

Consider how you will maintain your connection within the team and ensure visibility. Plan for those instances when your input will affect the work of others and adjust this to avoid disturbances in the workflow.

• How will a four-day working week impact your visibility within the organisation?

Be clear of how you maintain your personal brand within your organisation to ensure you don’t miss out on opportunities like new projects, important stakeholder meetings, networking events, information networking gatherings, conferences and others which will contribute to a potential promotion.  Consider how you will utilise the extra day to enhance your career – a new professional course, a side hustle, a freelance project.

Personal Aspects

• What will the financial impact on your working hours be?

We are working on the presumption that if you adopt a compressed working week, your pay will stay the same as you will be working the same number of hours but fewer days. However, there might be cases where you have the opportunity to work 80% of the time for 80% of the pay (happening in Consulting). You might incur some cost saving to balance that and reduce your carbon footprint.  With an extra day available, you could pursue additional paid work aligning with your longer-term career aspirations. However, be sure to evaluate the potential tax consequences of this additional income.

• How would a change in your working hours benefit your personal life?

It is worth reflecting on all the benefits you and your family will gain from your reduced working week. Consider how you will use this time to achieve your personal goals and protect your personal time. It is often easy to let work creep into your day.

•  What steps would you take to commit to your well-being?

Even with a three-day weekend, personal obligations can often consume your time, potentially leaving your health and well-being neglected. Make it a priority to schedule self-care activities and follow through with your plans consistently.

So before getting over excited about the four-day working week, it is crucial to assess your own work situation, career goals and personal needs to ensure you make the most of this opportunity. And if you are already doing a four-day working week, I would love to hear your experiences.