Four-day workweeks are a popular perk, but rolling them out correctly can be a challenge. What day do employees get off? Can your company still hit its goals and serve its customers? And what if it doesn’t work out? Rolling back a perk can be even more difficult, and some employees may feel resentful for having to go back to a five-day schedule.
Before you make a big change, here are five mistakes to avoid if you’re considering a shorter workweek.
1. Going All In, Right Away
Instead of switching the entire company to a new work schedule, start by testing the approach, says Joe Sanok, author of Thursday Is the New Friday. “Try different models within different departments,” he says. “Maybe one team takes Thursday afternoons off and another takes off Fridays. Find out what is the best model for your organization and industry.”
Ideally, companies should test the concept for at least two quarters, says Sanok. Companies can also ease into new workflow models by testing meeting- or email-free Fridays, which can allow employees to do focused work or have flexibility to take personal time.
For example, Front, a customer communications platform, offers Flexible Fridays. “Every Friday is a non-reachable day—there are no meetings and no expectations of communication internally, answering emails, etc.,” says Ashley Alexander, chief people officer at Front. “This day can be spent on focused work or something else, whether that’s employees going for a bike ride, running errands, spending time with their family, or just taking a day to themselves.”
After surveying its employees, Alexander says 91% of employees agreed that Flexible Fridays aligned with their personal preferences.
Realize that any change has an iteration process, adds Sanok. “Do people really want to work five days a week or did the way you rolled it out cause stress?” he asks. “You can refine the structure to meet people’s needs.”
2. Not Being Clear on the “Why”
Before changing to a shortened workweek, research the systemic factors that are driving the need for a new plan, says Andrew Filev, founder of the project management platform Wrike.
“Companies that cut down employees’ work time without first optimizing efficiency are bound to fail in this initiative,” he says. “If employees are spending the same amount of time on each task and meeting, a shorter week will only push them to sneak online during the given day off to make up for the loss of time.”
You may need to add other new work systems. For example, decades ago software developers embraced an Agile style of workflow. “They were able to do more in a 40-hour workweek than they were previously doing in 80 hours,” says Filev. “If your shortened workweek strategy centers on creating a healthier work-life balance for your employees while maintaining productivity, consider how best to help them achieve that.”
3. Avoiding Transparency
When marketing research firm Alter Agents rolled out a four-day workweek, the company didn’t tell their clients. In fact, founder and CEO Rebecca Brook decided success would be if their clients had no idea that they were running a four-day workweek.
That might have been a mistake, says Sanok. “All interested parties don’t need to be part of the decision, but they should at least be aware of the transition,” he says. “Clients or people that are any part of your supply chain should know because it may affect your timelines.”
When you alert clients, Sanok suggests saying, “We want to preserve top quality talent to better serve you. We are going to test a four-day workweek.”
“I think people will have more grace when they know that you’re trying something new,” he says. “Transparency will also get faster feedback you can use to change and adapt and grow into something new.”
Remind clients by having employees set calendar blocks and use their email signatures to clearly define their working hours, suggests Tom Caporaso, CEO of Clarus Commerce, a provider of customer engagement, loyalty, and promotions strategies. “This way, clients are aligned and understanding of your organization’s working schedule,” he says.
4. Having Unrealistic KPIs
Clearly define what success will look like. Individual roles should have an output number that indicates success. For example, a salesperson may be hired to make 40 sales calls a week and convert 10 of those.
“During a four-day workweek, an employee may only make 30 calls and land five clients,” says Sanok. “The company may feel frustrated that the new schedule isn’t working.”
Every week, do a quick 15-minute meeting checking in on the KPIs and on the culture of the four-day workweek. Then every month, have an hour-long meeting to bring together the data.
“Where are we up? Where are we down? How do we address it?” asks Sanok. “At the end of the first quarter, bring all three of those reports from the longer meetings together and create a best practices report.”
A shortened workweek is an indicator of trust for the team, says Caporaso, whose company tested a Summer Fridays perk, giving employees the afternoon off. After its success, it made the schedule permanent.
“We know they can get their work done in the parameters of four full days and a half day Friday,” says Caporaso. “So long as you’re setting the expectation that client deliverables and deadlines need to be met, giving employees a few extra hours to get ahead on their weekend won’t slow the business.”
5. Using a Fluctuating Structure
If your company is in an industry where you need to be available for clients five days a week, you may not be able to give every employee the same day off. Instead of fluctuating days off, however, it’s best to keep to a regular schedule, says Sanok.
“I think most people would prefer having the same day off each week so that they can plan around it for their kids’ schedules or for doctor appointments,” he says. “Employees may not be as engaged if the day was always different.”
When done right, four-day workweeks can be a selling point for companies, says Sanok. “It’s a tough hiring environment,” he says. “Any sort of creativity and flexibility is going to attract better-quality talent than companies that just stick with ancient ways of doing business.”
