How to convince your boss to trial a 4 day work week
So you want to work a 4 day week? That makes two of us! After all, the 4 day work week is growing in popularity, and over 90% of our past clients who trial a 4 day work week with us, extend their trial or make it permanent.
Click below to download a PDF of our Convince Your Boss to Trial a 4 Day Work Week Guide*
Why should you trial a 4 day work week with 4 Day Week Global?
The 4 day week we advocate for at 4 Day Week Global is a flexible model, not a rigid, ‘one size fits all approach’. It’s based on the general principle of the 100:80:100™ – 100% of the pay, for 80% of the time, in exchange for 100% of the productivity or output.
Almost all companies that move to a 4 day week do three big things: radically shorten and reform meetings; use technology more thoughtfully and mindfully, and; redesign the workday to build in distinct periods for focused work, meetings, and social time.
Studies show that the average worker loses two to three hours each day to useless meetings, poor technology implementations, and just plain old distractions. So the 4 day week is actually already here; we just can’t see it because it’s buried underneath these old, outdated practices.
It requires strong management, clever rostering, and worker buy-in, but we do believe that some version of a shorter working week, based on 100:80:100™, is achievable right across the economy, benefitting employers, workers, society, and the environment.
From an employer perspective, research shows that productivity can be maintained, or even increased by implementing a 4 day week in accordance with the 100:80:100™ model.
In addition, business costs often reduce due to less employee sick leave and greater worker retention.
Many savvy employers have also recognised the competitive edge a 4 day week gives them, attracting top talent in an increasingly tight labour market.
Employees who work a 4 day week report feeling happier, less stressed and less burnt out.
They report being better able to perform in their jobs and better able to relax on their time off.
Workers’ sleep also improves along with their physical and mental health, boosting their overall wellbeing.
The 4 day week improves gender equality. It encourages a better distribution of domestic responsibilities, and helps remove barriers to women remaining in the job market, taking on leadership roles and pursuing training opportunities.
Research also suggests that moving to a 4 day week will reduce carbon emissions by around a fifth, by cutting back on commuting time and energy use in buildings. Additionally, evidence shows that when people are time-stressed, they tend to choose faster and more polluting modes of travel and daily life activities, so having more time will reduce our carbon footprint.
First step in convincing your boss to trial a 4 day work week
The 4 day week we’re campaigning for has countless cross-society benefits in terms of business productivity gains, general improvements in worker health and happiness, gender equality and sustainability.
To convince your boss to trial a 4 day work week, you must think like your boss
Convincing your colleagues about a 4 day week
Colleagues can help you convince your boss to trial a 4 day work week
There’s strength in numbers. If you and your colleagues approach your boss as a united front, you’re much more likely to be successful with your pitch.
To achieve this, you must first start a conversation. Chat to your coworkers at lunch time about how great a 4 day week would be. Or perhaps you have a WhatsApp group you could bring it up in and share some resources? If there’s a union representative in your office, you could approach them and ask for support. You’ll know best how to open the conversation.
How to get your colleagues on side to trial a 4 day work week
Once people’s interest is piqued, share your knowledge with them. Educate your colleagues on what the 4 day week is and most importantly, how it could work for your organization.
To move forward, you could suggest forming a 4 day week committee and nominate representatives to approach management. Or design a petition for your colleagues to sign. Anything to demonstrate that there’s a genuine appetite for this initiative.
Once they’re on board, it’s time to approach your boss.
How to convince your boss to give you a 4 day work week
Who should you approach when you are convincing them to trial a 4 day work week?
The size of your workplace will determine who you approach first. Generally the best place to start is with your line manager, but maybe a HR official or the CEO is the correct move for you.
Begin by saying you want to have a conversation about the benefits of a 4 day week and how it could help your organisation. Be clear that this isn’t something you’re demanding, but that you’ve recently learned a lot about the concept and believe it would be a sensible, mutually beneficial move.
Resources you can use to convince your boss to trial a 4 day work week
Share your learnings about the benefits. Point to relevant case studies of other businesses similar to yours where this has already worked and be clear there’s an appetite for it amongst the staff.
Identify your organization’s goals and values and tailor your pitch accordingly. Does the company want to expand? Is it important they are seen as innovative in their industry? Are they interested in sustainability and the environment? Do they value gender equality? These are all things the 4 day week can help with.
Other ways to appeal to your boss to trial a 4 day work week
Based on our experience, it’s not a matter of if the 4 day week will happen, but when.
Appeal to your boss’s sense of innovation - do they want to be remembered and celebrated in years to come as a pioneer of this new way of work?
Ask them to consider the greater risk: trying the 4 day week and failing, or their biggest competitor trying it first and reaping the rewards?
Finally, give them time to consider your proposal. The best outcome at this point is for management to agree to think about it, review some of the research and set a date for when you’ll discuss potential next steps.
Broaden your research to see if there are examples of other 4 day week organisations who’ve already overcome these barriers. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us for assistance if you’re particularly stuck.
Then once you’re ready, go back to management equipped with the information necessary to address their initial concerns and propose implementing a six-month trial. This will really give you the chance to prove the benefits of a 4 day week with the added layer of security that your organisation can revert back to regularly scheduled programming after the pilot if things don’t go well.
How to answer difficult questions about the 4 day work week
Some time has passed since the initial pitch and your boss has had the chance to come up with all the reasons why this could “never work”. Don’t be disheartened. We guarantee that someone who’s already successfully implemented a 4 day week in their organisation had the same initial concerns before they started.
It’s important to listen to their concerns and find ways to genuinely address them. Take these issues back to your colleagues and discuss different approaches and potential solutions.
How to run a 4 day week trial in your company
While it is possible for an organisation to successfully run their own internal trial, if you’re serious about making this work, we highly recommend coming on board one of 4 Day Week Global’s official pilot programs.
Our Pilot Program is a coordinated, six-month trial of a 4 day week alongside other pioneering companies, where you will receive unique support from leading experts, and access to the tools to make the initiative a success. Built around our 100-80-100™ principle, this program will guide you to reduce work time without sacrificing productivity.
As part of our pilot program, we offer:
Training designed and delivered by international organizations who have successfully implemented a 4 day week. This will include things like virtual events, digital resources and workshops to help with common challenges, pitfalls, and misconceptions.
Networking with other participants in the coordinated pilot, both in your country and globally. This community of leaders will act as a peer-support network to share learnings and experiences.
Research and analysis by a team of world-class academics. Our researchers will work with you to establish relevant productivity metrics for your business, and to define what success looks like for you. These metrics will be monitored throughout the trial, with an impact assessment specific to your company produced after the trial. You will also be part of the first global research program on reduced hours working with workplace statistics. Information we gather here will be anonymous.
While there is a general pathway for the pilot, it is flexible. We want you to be able to adapt things according to what’s happening in your world, with your organization’s specific requirements.
Once you have convinced your boss to trial a 4 day work week
When the eight-hour day was first introduced more than a century ago, many claimed this was an unaffordable luxury and argued that the economy couldn’t cope. When British economist John Maynard Keynes predicted in 1930 that advancements in technology and productivity would make a 15-hour work week possible within a century, he could hardly have imagined the kind of progress we’ve experienced since then.
Despite this, working hours have remained largely stagnant in most advanced western economies.
We must ensure that the benefits and productivity gains brought about by the ‘fourth industrial revolution’ of automation, artificial intelligence and digital technologies are shared with workers.
It’s been over 100 years since we invented the five-day working week and it’s time for an update. Help make it happen.
Additional resources
The 4 Day Week - Andrew Barnes with Stephanie Jones
Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less - Alex Soojung-Kim Pang
The Distraction Addiction - Alex Soojung-Kim Pang
Click below to download a PDF of our Convince Your Boss Letter*
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Take the next step: trial a 4 day work week with us
Donate to the 4 day work 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 $5 per month to become a part of this movement for a 4 Day World.
Click here to see what you get in exchange for becoming a sponsor
How can I improve my business with a 4 day week?
We offer support for businesses looking to make the shift to reduced-hour working in several ways:
1. Our Foundation Course
Our Foundation Course is designed for business leaders, consultants and entrepreneurs looking to understand how to implement a 4 day week in their organization, or to support the implementation of one in another organization.
We teach you through six video lecture modules, using the 100-80-100™ model.
2. Our Pilot Programs
We run 4 day week pilots using the 100-80-100™ principle across the globe. You can trial a 4 day week alongside other organizations in your geography. There are many pilots happening in various countries across the world.
Sign up here to register your interest in being a part of one of our pilots and we will let you know when the pilot in your country is kicking off! Alternatively, we have two global pilots happening in 2024.
3. One-on-One Consulting
This is for larger organizations who want bespoke one-on-one support throughout the 4 day week planning and implementation process. We will provide you with world-leading experts in reducing working hours to help you on this journey.
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Why 4 Day Week Global?
Commitment
At 4 Day Week Global, it’s our mission to create one million years of new free time, by reshaping the way we think about work and moving the conversation from hours to output.
Experience
Since our inception in 2019, we have guided hundreds of companies and thousands of workers through our pilot programs, making us the world’s largest organization advocating for a 4 day week.
Knowledge
Our lecturers are some of the most prominent global leaders in the field, having written multiple books on the subject of reduced worktime and worked with organizations of every size from every sector.