Businesses constantly seek innovative ways to enhance employee well-being and work-life balance. One such movement gaining momentum is the transition to a four-day work week or reduced working hours. This approach holds the promise of improving employee satisfaction and retention, but many businesses and executives fear a drop in productivity and task management.
Below, 18 Forbes Business Council members share strategies to help leaders lay a solid foundation to support the switch to a four-day workweek while simultaneously maximizing employee productivity.
1. Prioritize Collecting Employee Feedback
The success of our four-day workweek lies in prioritizing trust through the collection of employee feedback. By continuously refining and adapting to changing employee needs, we foster an environment where they feel heard and trusted. This approach has led to significant productivity gains. Trust isn’t built overnight; it requires ongoing effort and cultivation. – Ross Wainwright, Alida
2. Encourage Goals And Effective Time Management
To maintain productivity while transitioning to a four-day workweek, businesses can implement clear goal-setting and effective time management strategies. Encouraging open communication, setting realistic deadlines and leveraging technology for project management can help streamline workflows and ensure that teams stay focused and productive within the reduced work hours. – Emily Reynolds Bergh, R Public Relations Firm
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3. Avoid Salary Cuts
Consider alternative strategies to avoid salary cuts when transitioning to a shorter workweek. Salary reductions can demotivate employees and impact productivity. Instead, optimize work processes, set clear priorities and foster a positive work environment to maintain employee engagement and productivity levels. – Mark Snell, Polestar Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning
4. Be Task-Oriented Rather Than Time-Oriented
One strategy is to emphasize being task-oriented over being time-oriented work. Rather than focusing on hours spent at work, focus on specific deliverables. This shifts the mindset towards productivity and efficiency and away from merely “putting in hours.” Providing training and tools for effective time management can support this shift. – Vikrant Shaurya, Authors On Mission
5. Set Clear Objectives And Measurable Goals
Upper management may implement a results-oriented approach by focusing on setting clear objectives and measurable goals for each team member. By shifting the focus from hours worked to outcomes achieved, employees can prioritize effectively and maintain productivity, ensuring client satisfaction while embracing the benefits of a reduced work week. – Elizabeth A. Douglas, Esq., Douglas Family Law Group
6. Increase Productivity Through Upskilling
Businesses transitioning to a shorter workweek can support employee productivity through upskilling. Offer your team training on time management, actionable communication and maximizing meeting effectiveness. These skills will optimize productivity, help employees in prioritizing tasks and foster effective teamwork, enabling them to reach their goals despite reduced working hours. – René Janssen, Lepaya
7. Set Performance Standards
Ensure the change doesn’t impact productivity by creating structured expectations for employees. Communicate regularly with staff to ensure they understand goals. Set performance standards that need to be met each day, week, month or quarter. By establishing clear expectations and monitoring progress, employers can be confident their operations will remain efficient while making the shift. – Neha Naik, RecruitGyan
8. Measure The Impact On Productivity
The productivity impact of a structural change (reduced hours, days, remote flexibility, meeting re-locations, etc.) has to be measured from multiple perspectives several times. Counting widgets produced isn’t the key measure. Examine the impact on culture—how did it change? How do employees feel about spending less time traveling? How is it affecting team interactions? Long-term benefits are the goal! – Jerry Cahn, Age Brilliantly
9. Implement A Trial Program
It would be wise to consider doing a trial program first before fully implementing a four-day workweek. By conducting a trial, you can identify potential challenges that may impact your business operations and develop strategies to mitigate them. This proactive approach minimizes disruptions and ensures the maintenance of your business productivity. – Pavel Stepanov, Virtudesk
10. Automate Repetitive Tasks
Leverage technology and automation. Automating repetitive tasks can significantly boost productivity. This allows employees to focus on more complex tasks during their work hours, ensuring the same output even with reduced working hours. It’s crucial to provide training to help employees adapt to new tools and processes. – Dustin Lemick, BriteCo
11. Enable A Customer Response Team
One primary difficulty in adopting a four-day workweek for a small business is how to deal with the customers who come around on the fifth day. Losing these customers could mean losing a large chunk of business. The business should arrange to make sure that at least a part of the customer response team is available when the customer customarily expects the business to be open, say on a Friday. – Beth Worthy, GMR Transcription Services, Inc.
12. Negotiate Tangible Outputs
Give your team a definition of success so they know when they’re hitting the target and talk about how long it should take. Invite timely conversations about roadblocks. Double-check with them on a regular basis to ensure that objectives are clear and achievable. Make sure you give the appropriate praise to the praiseworthy. – Robert M. Donaldson, Collaborative Strategies Consulting Inc.
13. Keep Your Team Accountable
There is no substitute for accountability. Everyone we work with knows what is demanded of anyone in their role. For the past thirty years, our philosophy has been “It’s the project that matters.” If our contract employees can complete a top-notch project in a day, that’s great and they can take some time off. If it takes five, six or even seven days to get the job done right, so be it. – ‘Smitty’ Robert J. Smith, Robert J. Smith Productions
14. Eliminate Wasted Time
Businesses considering reducing hours should follow a two-pronged approach to eliminate waste and enhance productivity. Common places a business waste time includes maintaining overlapping systems, having unnecessary meetings and failing to use automation and communication tools. Those same tools can, in turn, also enhance productivity by providing more output with fewer hours. – Jason Foodman, Rosy Salon Software
15. Leverage Productivity Tools
One effective technique is to use productivity tools and technology to automate repetitive work. This will allow employees to focus on more productive tasks in less time. – Khurram Akhtar, Programmers Force
16. Add Clarity To Meetings
Avoid having too many meetings. Define a clear agenda when you schedule meetings, make sure you allocate tasks beforehand and clearly define the deadlines. It’s not easy to find the balance between providing a benefit and becoming lenient. I would recommend businesses establish a sense of urgency as they are working only four days a week. – Raj Maddula, Global Squirrels
17. Foster A Results-Oriented Culture
The transition to a four-day workweek should be accompanied by the fostering of results-oriented work culture. By shifting the focus from hours worked to outcomes achieved, employees are motivated to manage their time effectively and deliver high-quality work. This strategy encourages a sense of ownership and accountability, leading to increased productivity without sacrificing work-life balance. – Kumar Vijayendra, Footsteps LLC
18. Establish Clear Communication Channels
Establish effective communication channels and clear expectations. This includes regular team meetings to align priorities, ensure everyone understands their responsibilities and address any potential roadblocks. Clear guidelines should be provided on project deadlines, deliverables and individual goals. – Trey Ferro, Spot Pet Insurance
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