While four-day workweeks have been around as a work model for some time, and other countries have embraced the model, it’s seen slower adoption in the U.S.
Interest, though, is growing as companies seek ways to meet employees’ demands for flexible work and greater work/life balance. According to WTW’s Global Benefits Attitudes Survey, the primary drivers for attracting and retaining employees, based on employee input, are:
- Pay—48%
- Job security—41%
- Health benefits—36%
- Flexible work arrangements—31%
But, while four-day workweeks certainly offer benefits to employees and employees are increasingly demanding this kind of flexibility, this work model does create some challenges for companies and managers.
Challenges of Managing in a Four-Day Workweek Environment
“The number one challenge in managing employees in a four-day workweek environment is making sure that productivity and results don’t suffer,” says Todd Davis, a FranklinCovey senior leadership consultant and 7 Habits content expert.
Four-day workweeks don’t work in all settings, Davis cautions. “If I run a company that has a 24-hour customer service line or where clients need resources and communication five days a week, then addressing coverage is obviously critical,” he says.
In a four-day workweek environment, says Asumi Ishibashi, senior director, employee experience, with WTW, there is the potential for increased risk from business disruptions or negative experiences based on scheduling or coverage issues. Barriers to effective communication and collaboration may also present challenges.
In addition, managing equity across all workforce segments can be a challenge if some employees aren’t able to—or aren’t allowed to—shift to a four-day workweek. “Another challenge to be aware of is treating some employees with more trust than others,” Davis says. “If certain teams are allowed to move to a four-day workweek but not others, companies need to be crystal clear in their reasoning and communication as to why that is.”
“Lack of change readiness and mismatch of stakeholder expectations between managers and employees, cross teams, and with vendors and clients,” can also present challenges, says Ishibashi.
Davis also points out that even something as seemingly reasonable as trying a four-day workweek on a trial basis can cause issues. “It can be very difficult to reverse that decision without deflating the employees,” he says. “So it’s important to make sure everyone understands if there is going to be a trial period and that it is also clearly explained what success of that trial period will need to look like in order for it to become permanent.”
Despite the challenges, though, steps can be taken to minimize or overcome those challenges.
Overcoming the Challenges of Managing a Four-Day Workweek
Clearly, an important area of focus and consideration when offering any kind of alternative work scheduling is the impact on customers. “Ensuring business continuity through the effective management of support and coverage across critical operations and functions and building in contingency planning,” says Ishibashi, are must-dos to ensure customer and other stakeholder needs are addressed.
In addition, Ishibashi says, “It is important to provide support for teams, including new team protocols and enabling technology … [for] new ways of working to enhance the experience.”
Any change to work models, Ishibashi says, requires “taking a holistic approach to enabling new ways of working.” This, Ishibashi says, requires an investment in developing strategies and HR programs to create meaningful workplace experiences and desired outcomes like business performance, employee engagement, productivity, and well-being.
Flexibility in Action: A Case in Point
Adrien Kallel, CEO and co-founder of Remote People has more than eight years of experience implementing flexible work arrangements, including four-day workweeks across multiple companies. Kallel shares some best practice examples of how he’s helped organizations address the challenges that a four-day workweek can bring:
- Made Wednesdays a company-wide “overlap day” where everyone works regardless of their schedule. This provides one day where the entire team is available for important meetings and collaboration.
- Implemented strict “work scope reduction,” cutting deliverables by 20% rather than expecting the same output in less time. This meant having tough conversations with clients about realistic timelines, but it paid off in terms of quality and team morale, Kallel says.
- Created a “no-meeting Thursday” policy to guarantee everyone gets at least one day of deep work each week. “We moved all status updates to async communication through Loom videos and Notion docs,” Kallel shares.
It’s important, says Kallel, to not “half commit to this model.” To work effectively, he says, companies must “actually reduce the workload proportionally, or you’ll burn people out fast.” He said he’s tried maintaining the same expectations, but the result “was a disaster.”
Additional tips to help make this model work:
- Stagger your customer service team’s days off so you maintain five-day coverage for clients. This lets you offer the four-day perk without sacrificing client experience.
- Get super clear about communication expectations on off days. For instance: “Red issues (emergencies) get a text, yellow issues (important but not urgent) get a Slack DM, and green issues (can wait) go to email for the next workday.”
Finally, Kallel says: “Trust your people because companies where four-day weeks fail are the ones where managers can’t let go of constant supervision. Stop micromanaging and focus on results.”
“With opportunities for talent to now go virtually anywhere and the war for talent becoming more and more difficult, it is critical for organizations to be willing to explore ways to attract and retain the top talent in the world,” Davis stresses. With more organizations willing to move to flexible work schedules, those that aren’t can find themselves losing the talent war.
“Continually remind yourself and others that what you need are results, not necessarily facetime,” Davis says. “The workforce and the way they work are changing regularly. Top-performing companies need to do the same.”
The bottom line: Listen and monitor key performance indicators (KPI) to ensure that a four-day workweek model is achieving the desired results for both employees and your organization. Ishibashi points to recent WTW research indicating that “companies that are prepared for changing working conditions are more likely to conduct employee listening activities.” This might include surveys, focus groups, and direct interactions. Actively—and proactively—seeking this input can help “identify changes in employee preferences and measure the impact of changing work conditions.”
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