I have worked a four-day week for the past twenty years, here’s what I have learned.
I know it was twenty years ago I started working four-days a week because my eldest daughter has just had her twenty-first birthday. It was the prospect of becoming a father that prompted me to look for and find a more senior position with a new company. Parenthood was on my mind and whether more time or more money was the priority. After discussing this with my wife we decided time was the more precious commodity but money would do for now. It was only when I handed my notice in at the then current employer they asked if there was anything they could offer to keep me. As an almost throwaway comment I said a four-day week on the same salary. My boss and I laughed, and that was that. Except later in the afternoon the General Manager visited me and asked if I was serious I said I was and explained my reasoning and to my surprise he agreed.
Looking back I now realise what a shrewd move this was by my employer. I was determined to make the arrangement work; he had guaranteed my loyalty and inconvenienced a competitor all in one move. I stayed with that company for another fifteen years, receiving promotions and more responsibilities as time passed whilst still maintaining a four-day week. Since then I have established my own company but I still keep to the four-day week. Here are some lessons learned.
Be humble.
For many years I kept the fact I worked four days quiet, only telling those that needed to know. I responded to emails took calls and even attended important meetings on my day off, swapping it for alternative days or having days in lieu. Ninety percent of the people I interacted with didn’t know of my arrangement. Be happy with your arrangement but don’t flaunt it that only leads to resentment.
Be flexible.
Along the way my line managers changed as did the senior staff and business direction. Each change usually meant I was put under pressure either directly or indirectly to return to a five-day week. Each time I asked the new regime to give me a chance to prove the four-day worked. Some quickly realised the arrangement was fine whilst others would regularly arrange meetings on my days off to try and force the issue. I attended those meetings swapping my days around until they got bored or forgot I worked four days. Flexibility was the key to continued success.
Be determined. There were times when I faced an outright demand to return to five days. A calm but determined refusal was usually enough. However, the knowledge I would leave the business rather than return to a five-day week was always made clear, and this helped fend off most arguments. More money will always be a strong persuader but remember nothing is more valuable than time.
Be cautious. It was occasionally suggested I could work the equivalent of five days hours across a four-day week and where that was entirely feasible it is a trap that easily leads to a return to five-day contract. Instead I argued that I already made up the extra hours by responding to emails and taking calls out of hours, so that the business in fact got five days work for the cost of four days. As much as this is a move to a four-day week it is the number of hours you should be protective of.
Be happy.
It is important to remember why you created more time in your week and take full enjoyment from it. For me it was the invaluable extra time spent with my wife and daughters. Being part of their school lives that would have been difficult if not impossible without a free ‘workday’. The time to pursue those things that bring happiness into our lives should be sought and engaged in at every opportunity.
Be an advocate.
There are many papers written both for and against a four-day week. Over the last twenty years there has been a shift towards the positive benefits for both employees and companies. With many reports stating a counter intuitive increase in productivity from those working four days a week, so much so that many companies have adopted this as the norm. I can categorically state that the move to a four-day week was the best professional decision I have made. Over and again I am reminded that time is the most precious commodity we have. The trick is to make more time for yourself now, don’t wait for some hypothetical future that may not materialise.
Lastly – Be ready.
Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) and the move to Artificial General Intelligence (A.G.I.) along with the full automation of processes is now a reality for a number of businesses. These new ways of working will seep into all areas of employment forcing a shift in working patterns not seen since the start of the industrial revolution. Whether this leads to devastating mass unemployment or the emergence of new types of work is still being debated. What holds true is the value of time and the necessity to balance the needs of work and the pursuit of personal fulfilment.
Since I moved to the four-day week the laws in the UK have changed in favour of the employee in respect to flexible working. If you have been contemplating less hours or a more flexible work pattern here are a couple of links that outline your rights.
Citizens advice and UK Gov
