Talk of the four-day working week has dominated our news feeds for some time, with a growing number of businesses, regions – and even nations – considering the change.

So, why do your internal communications play such a pivotal role in making the four-day week work? And what steps must you take to ensure its long-term success?

In our latest blog, we’re exploring the importance of internal comms in making a success of the four-day week.

What are the benefits of the four-day week?

The benefits of reducing the hours you work are plentiful, including the opportunity to:

Attract and retain top talent

Offering reduced working hours for comparative pay is extremely attractive to high-octane talent in a competitive marketplace. Research by Henley Business School revealed 63% of employers said providing a four-day week allowed them to entice and keep top talent.

Build your reputation in the industry

As Gen Z emerges into the workplace, we need to be aware of their needs and priorities. Therefore, it’s significant that the same study showed 67% of Gen Z workers said a four-day week would push them to choose one workplace over another.

The modern workforce is vocal and influential. So, how would this type of endorsement impact your reputation in your sector as a caring and progressive employer?

Boost employee wellbeing

A survey by the Institute for Public Policy Research Scotland revealed 80% of people believed reduced working hours would have a positive impact on their mental wellbeing.

And when Perpetual Guardian, a New Zealand finance firm, adopted the four-day work pattern back in 2018, they saw a 27% drop in stress among employees, who reported a 45% improvement in work-life balance.

Increase productivity

According to Andrew Barnes, author of 4 Day Week and CEO of Perpetual Guardian – the New Zealand business that saw the transformative effects of reduced working - most of us only put in three days’ work over the average five-day working week.

So, if Microsoft Japan can give its employees Fridays off and see a 40% spike in productivity, is it time you explored the potential it could bring to your business?

Reduce costs and emissions

Closing the office down for one day a week will reduce your business running costs, as well as allowing your employees to save money on the cost of commuting.

As well as boosting productivity, Microsoft Japan saw a 23% drop in energy costs as a result of its four-day week.

Another bonus? Logging off and giving your team a break from the commute will benefit the environment, too.

Lower absences and sickness

In 2020, the Health and Safety Executive released a report that showed work-related stress, anxiety, and depression resulted in the loss of 17.9 million working days.

As an employer, it’s crucial to be proactive and open-minded about preventing mental health struggles in your teams for everyone’s benefit.

What is the role of internal comms when launching a four-day week?

Despite the success stories, there are cautionary tales of overworked employees attempting to maintain output over reduced working hours, causing stress, burnout, absenteeism, and a drop in production and profit.

When your team spends less time physically or digitally together, you need the right tools and procedures in place to stay unified and on task.

To make it work, there are three main areas to consider when planning your internal comms strategy:

Successful pre-change comms – how you prepare your teams to buy into the plan and contribute to its success

Successful change management – how you navigate the changes within your organisation with minimal disruption and seamless adaptations to the new way of working

Ensuring future success – understanding what you need to do to maintain the success of your new work pattern once the initial excitement dissolves

Things to consider when planning the switch to a three-day weekend

Pioneering a four-day week isn’t as simple as logging off on Thursday at 5pm and hoping for the best.

Lay out clear guidelines and expectations of your employees – and communicate with them effectively - so everyone understands what’s expected of them and how things will work.

For example, when will team meetings occur, and how will progress be monitored? What stays the same, and what must change?

In terms of software, does your existing setup accommodate this new way of working? Or do you need to invest in project management planning software to keep track of everyone’s workload and output?

Can you drop a day if you have customer-facing employees?

Switching to a four-day week is complex for larger organisations or industries like retail with frontline workers.

If you have customer-facing employees, how will you manage their rotas to make it work for them?

Or, if you make it a ‘head office only’ policy, how will this sit with individuals in other locations?

Indeed, during the pandemic there was a feeling of resentment towards office-based teams working from home among frontline workers who didn’t have that option .

If this is your situation, how you communicate with your internal teams will make or break the experiment – so tread carefully.

Other practicalities to think about

For many businesses, contemplating a four-day working week poses more questions than answers.

In addition to the above, you’ll also need to consider whether the entire business shuts down one day a week, or you keep your business open five days a week and alternate people’s day off.

If you choose a single shutdown day, how do you decide on it? Will you ask your customers or do what’s best for your employees? How will you crowdsource internal opinions on this to make the right choice? Or do we need to decide this as a country and all follow suit?

Thinking about your customers, will they be able to contact you when they need to? Or, will you communicate your new way of working and set expectations around this?

Plus, if your teams currently catch up on work at home, how will you approach this situation?

Before long, this could cause resentment if your employees feel they have to do extra, unpaid hours to keep on top of their workload.

Therefore, how you broach this matter with them will dictate whether they feel supported or disenfranchised.

How to implement a four-day week successfully 

Below, we’ve compiled five expert tips for internal communicators when implementing a four-day working week trial successfully.

Constant communication – keeping in touch with your workforce is vital for any organisation, especially one spending less time together
Employee engagement – prioritising engagement among your employees is the key to making this work. Ask your team what will make them more productive and implement their suggestions to set them up to succeed  
Clear objectives – if you want to increase productivity, reduce absenteeism, attract and retain talented employees, and achieve better overall wellbeing and work culture by reducing your working week, everyone needs to understand what you expect of them and how the new regime looks, and you’ll need to be clear about how you’ll measure this. You’ll also need to consider the employee experience and how you will manage this.
A personal approach – different employees have commitments like religious holidays, studies, family life, and more – so be aware of the desires and requirements of different individuals within your workforce
Consult to avoid top-down decision making – before deciding the extra day should be the same for everyone, see what suits your team and make a more informed decision to prevent conflict and resentment.

Where to find support for implementing a four-day week

If you’re keen to make the leap but feel unsure of the practical steps you need to take to facilitate reduced working hours in your organisation, we can help.

From expert advice to full internal communications plans and change management programmes, Enthuse will slot into your team wherever you need support, implementing the tools, procedures, and strategies you need to make this work.

Speak to us about transitioning into a shorter working week to ensure your ambition lands successfully. Call Enthuse on 07812 343310 or email hello@enthuse-comms.co.uk

Four-Day Week: The Importance of Nailing Your Internal Comms