We should move to a 4-day work week
I've been reading about companies that have switched to a 4-day work week and seen productivity stay flat or even increase. Our team regularly puts in extra hours on Fridays that don't translate to meaningful output. I think we should trial a 32-hour week for one quarter and measure the results.
The key metrics I'd propose tracking: sprint velocity, customer satisfaction scores, and employee retention. If any of those dip significantly, we roll it back.
Comments 10
Replying to the meeting concern — this is solvable. Institute no-meeting Wednesdays (or whatever day) and cap meetings at 25 minutes. The 4-day week forces the discipline that should exist anyway.
I'd also want to see how this interacts with our on-call rotation. If Friday is off, does that mean Thursday night on-call extends through the weekend? The ops team needs clarity on this.
One thing nobody's mentioned: compensation. Are we keeping salaries the same for fewer hours? If so, that's effectively a raise. If not, you'll have a revolt on your hands. This needs to be addressed head-on.
I worry about the message this sends to candidates. Some people will see '4-day week' as a perk, others will assume we're not serious. It depends on the industry norms and where we're hiring from.
Could we start with a pilot on one team instead of going company-wide? That way we get real internal data rather than relying on external case studies.
The productivity research is more nuanced than people think. Most of those studies are from knowledge-work companies with fewer than 200 employees. We're 800 people with a support team that needs real-time coverage. Not sure it translates.
Strongly in favor. I've been burning out doing 50-hour weeks and the Friday output is genuinely garbage. I'd rather do four focused days than five mediocre ones.
What about people who are already part-time? Do they go to a 3-day week? This could create weird equity issues if we're not careful about how it applies across different employment types.
We tried this at my last company. Productivity was fine, but the problem was meetings. Everyone tried to cram five days of meetings into four, and Mondays became completely unbearable. You need to cut meeting culture first.
I love the idea in theory, but our clients expect us to be available Monday through Friday. We'd need to figure out rotation coverage or we risk losing accounts. Has anyone looked into how client-facing teams handle this?
Themes 3
I love the idea in theory, but our clients expect us to be available Monday through Friday. We'd need to figure out rotation coverage or we risk losing accounts. Has anyone looked into how client-facing teams handle this?
What about people who are already part-time? Do they go to a 3-day week? This could create weird equity issues if we're not careful about how it applies across different employment types.
The productivity research is more nuanced than people think. Most of those studies are from knowledge-work companies with fewer than 200 employees. We're 800 people with a support team that needs real-time coverage. Not sure it translates.
I'd also want to see how this interacts with our on-call rotation. If Friday is off, does that mean Thursday night on-call extends through the weekend? The ops team needs clarity on this.
We tried this at my last company. Productivity was fine, but the problem was meetings. Everyone tried to cram five days of meetings into four, and Mondays became completely unbearable. You need to cut meeting culture first.
I worry about the message this sends to candidates. Some people will see '4-day week' as a perk, others will assume we're not serious. It depends on the industry norms and where we're hiring from.
Replying to the meeting concern — this is solvable. Institute no-meeting Wednesdays (or whatever day) and cap meetings at 25 minutes. The 4-day week forces the discipline that should exist anyway.
What about people who are already part-time? Do they go to a 3-day week? This could create weird equity issues if we're not careful about how it applies across different employment types.
The productivity research is more nuanced than people think. Most of those studies are from knowledge-work companies with fewer than 200 employees. We're 800 people with a support team that needs real-time coverage. Not sure it translates.
I'd also want to see how this interacts with our on-call rotation. If Friday is off, does that mean Thursday night on-call extends through the weekend? The ops team needs clarity on this.