How this content and digital marketing agency has been working a 4 day work week for over two years

The famous UK trial took place in 2022, where 70 companies initially participated in trialing a shorter work week for six months

Literal Humans, a content and digital marketing agency, based in London, made the leap to be a part of the largest 4 day work week trial ever.

Why did the agency decide to trial a 4 day week?

At the time, they had introduced ‘meeting-free Fridays’ so it made sense to take it to the next level and remove Fridays from their schedule altogether.

Also, as a small start-up who was in a healthy growth stage, they were looking to attract and hire some new talent. They felt like offering a shorter workweek would be the ticket to differentiate them from their competitors.

They saw the trial as an opportunity to try something new and “bake” the 4 day work week into the “DNA of the company”.

What did the digital marketing agency measure when they switched to a 4 day week?

They measured revenue and client retention. As they were part of a 4 Day Week Global co-ordinated group trial, they also benefited from external researchers recording other measurements such as self-reported productivity, work-life balance, time satisfaction, burnout, work-stress, anxiety, sleep and many more.

They discovered that their client relationships were not negatively affected by reducing their workweek to 4 days. Instead, they found that their team were more focused, more creative and were in a better position to deliver high-quality client work.

Regular pulse checks were also conducted using an employee engagement tool.

How did the 4 day work week benefit the employees in the digital marketing agency?

By the end of the trial, CEO Paul David was told by his team: “Please, God, don’t ever go back to a five-day work week.” They were very happy with the new workweek.

They noticed an increase in employee happiness through their pulse checks and they noticed an uplift in productivity: “we’re offering what other agencies offer in 20 days in 16.”

What are the lessons that the digital marketing agency learned as a result of switching to a 4 day work week?

David explains in great detail his lessons learned on the Moz Podcast, available on YouTube. Here is a summary of the 4 day work week lessons learned:

The 4 day work week impacts different roles in different ways

A project manager who works across a lot of clients and projects might find it more difficult to juggle their workload in a shorter time than a role that is more creativity based such as a writer or designer.

How to tackle this issue

Consider new systems and supports to support that role so that they can meet output expectations.

Understand how systems can maximize your productivity as a team

Appreciate that technology can have a huge impact on allowing your team to meet their productivity goals

How to tackle this issue

Consider what systems you need to put in place to match client expectations to employee tasks. You can’t just rely on hiring great people, you need to enable their greatness.

Be mindful of how you communicate the 4 day work week change to your clients

It is hard to strike the right balance or over or under communicating your new work week schedule to your clients and how to go about it.

How to tackle this issue

It is better to over communicate when in doubt as clients will appreciate transparency. Of course, the proof is in the pudding i.e. the work you deliver and the expectations you meet is where you will do the real communication! You’ll be surprised that a lot of clients are happy to hear that you are making the step to improve your work-life balance for your team and some might even ask you how to implement the 4 day work week for themselves!

How can I contribute to the 4 day week movement?

So, how can we ensure the 4 day work week becomes routine over radical? We’re a non-profit organization looking to bring the 4 day week to as many people across the globe as possible. Our goal is to create a million years of new free time through 4 day week trials and transitions.

Would you like to sponsor us on this journey? Donate as little as $2 per month to become a part of this movement for a 4 Day World.

Do you want to implement a 4 day week in your organization?

Work with us to reduce your work-time! We have helped over a thousand businesses to reduce their work-time by 20%, unlocking multiple benefits including higher productivity, better employee well-being and engagement.

Depending where you are on your time transformation journey, we have different approaches to suit your organization:

Preparation for a 4 Day Week

An online masterclass course comprising 5 modules to prepare you for transitioning to a 4 Day Week.

Designing your 4 Day Week

Design and implement your 4 Day Week journey. Our team works with you to pilot and track the impact of your shorter workweek. Choose the National Program or Bespoke Consulting route.

Mastering Time Transformation

Our expert coaches will work with you to reduce work time, create a high performance team and master your 4 Day Week, sustainably. 

Becoming an accredited employer

Get recognized as a 4 Day Week Employer to attract and retain the best talent to unlock long-term benefits.

Book in a free consultation with our team to discuss your time transformation journey with 4 Day Week Global.