Yahoo Finance Boss reveals 'dirty little secret' about the 4-day work week: 'Not smooth sailing'
Amantha Imber brought in the policy nearly four years ago and while it has been amazing, there are some difficulties every manager should know.
Amantha Imber made history when she brought the four-day work week to her company three and a half years ago. Management consultancy, Inventium, was the first in Australia to trial the controversial work policy and the company founder has discovered some harsh truths about it since.
Several studies have suggested a shorter working week has huge benefits to office morale as it allows staff to run some errands and have an extra day's headspace from their job. While Imber said it's great to get the same pay for working one day less than normal, it's not always "sunshine and rainbows".
She told the Australian Financial Review she hasn't taken the Friday off all year because times have been tough at Inventium. No one in her leadership team has done so either because she said it's difficult to take that fifth day of the week off when you know there's hustling to be had.
Do you have a four-day workweek and found it to be good or bad? Email stew.perrie@yahooinc.com
The company founder said there has been a lot of media coverage about the progressive work policy.
"This is typically in the form of huge uplifts in productivity, engagement and energy," she wrote.
"Inventium has also boasted about such results. And while these benefits are real and should be celebrated, they don’t paint the full picture of the challenges that come with implementing and sustaining a successful policy."
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The difficult side of a four-day work week
She described the grim side of the four-day workweek as a "dirty little secret" that no one is talking about.
Imber said adopting this policy in a workplace required a humungous "shift in mindset, culture and operations" and it can also create an "uncomfortable" and "challenging" level of transparency, accountability and adaptability for everyone.
She gave an example of a staff member who took advantage of the four-day workweek, but who also wasn't hitting their targets. The CEO said managers have to have difficult conversations with team members about juggling the freedom that comes with a policy like this alongside still getting the job done.
Imber's policy only allows staff to take the Friday off if they have earned it; it's not a right. However, that can be tricky as some staff might think they deserve it when she does not.
"While I love the four-day week concept and I would implement the policy again in a heartbeat, it is not all smooth sailing, and it’s certainly not a panacea for improving the world of work," she told the AFR.
The benefits of a four-day work week
Non-profit 4 Day Work Week ran a six-month trial with 26 companies across Australasia last year and found 95 per cent of organisations favoured the new hours.
Only one organisation said they wouldn't adopt the policy, which saw employees keep 100 per cent of their pay, while reducing their hours to 80 per cent and maintaining 100 per cent productivity.
Companies rated the 4 Day Work Week trial an 8.2 out of 10, saying they were satisfied with business productivity, performance and the ability to attract new employees. They also saw a 44 per cent reduction in sick and personal days.
About 96 per cent of employees were keen to continue the four-day work week, with two-thirds reporting less burnout and more than a third feeling less stressed. One in 10 even said no amount of money would make them go back to a five-day week.
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