How to Implement a 4-Day Work Week: Strategies for Success and Examples

Four-day work weeks, in which employees work four days a week rather than five, can increase productivity, reduce costs, and improve employee satisfaction for organizations. They are gaining traction as global work trends and the future of HR shift toward more flexible arrangements for businesses and their people.

Scheduling options such as compressed workdays, staggered days off, or reduced hours help companies tailor 4-day work weeks to their operational needs while maintaining service levels and output.

This article explores how to implement a 4-day work week successfully with actionable insights on structuring work schedules, managing the transition, and monitoring success.

It also draws on 4 day work week examples from companies and countries, showcasing real-world outcomes and key lessons learned from their experiences.

How to implement a 4-day work week in your company

To successfully implement a 4-day work week, here are some key steps to follow:

1. Prepare your organization for a 4-day work week

Evaluate whether a 4-day work week aligns with your business model, operational needs, and stakeholder requirements.

Assess initiative feasibility for your business

Begin by determining whether a 4-day work week aligns with your business model and industry needs. Can your company maintain its productivity and service levels, for instance, with fewer working hours?

Use tools like productivity trackers, customer service metrics, and employee sentiment surveys to gauge how current operations might be affected.

Involve stakeholders in the decision

Seek buy-in from senior management and your HR and finance teams. Ensure they understand the nature of the change, i.e., a shift toward outcomes-based work rather than hours logged.

Conduct surveys or interviews with your people to assess their interests, gauge their concerns, and identify potential roadblocks to implementation.

2. Decide on the structure: Compressed hours vs. fewer hours vs. flexible schedules

Consider the structure that works best for your organization under a 4-day work week. Evaluate your business type, employee preferences, and operational requirements.

There are three common approaches to structuring a 4-day work week:

1. Compressed hours: Employees work the same weekly hours (e.g., 40) but over fewer days (e.g., four 10-hour days per week). This is ideal for maintaining full-time coverage but may lead to employee burnout due to longer workdays
2. Reduced hours with full pay: Employees work shorter weeks (e.g., 32-hour weeks) without a reduction in pay. Employee satisfaction and work-life balance improve, but businesses may need to adjust their priorities and productivity metrics. This tends to work well for knowledge-based industries where productivity is less reliant on hours worked but may not suit roles requiring constant availability
3. Flexible work schedules: Different teams stagger their workdays to ensure coverage over the week. This is a flexible approach but requires careful coordination to prevent operational gaps. It may suit customer-facing industries, provided it’s managed with strong communication and planning

3. Devise a change management strategy

Change management is critical to implementing a 4-day work week to ensure a smooth transition, foster employee buy-in, and address potential challenges. A structured approach minimizes confusion and resistance and makes the transition more effective.

Here are three steps for successful change management:

1. Create a communication plan: Develop a clear, ongoing communication strategy, including in-person meetings, emails, and memos, to inform employees about the process and expectations
2. Engage key stakeholders: Involve HR, management, and team leaders to champion the change and help address concerns, promoting alignment with your organizational goals
3. Monitor and adapt: Use feedback tools such as surveys or one-on-one meetings to assess how employees adapt to the new framework and schedules, making adjustments as needed

4. Establish clear communication channels

Effective communication helps set clear expectations, prevents confusion, and maintains trust throughout the transition.

Ensure employees understand the new framework and how it affects their roles. Inform clients and customers about the change through direct communications, like emails or meetings, or indirectly by announcing it on your company website.

A key challenge is maintaining service standards after the change. Consider implementing staggered schedules or designating specific points of contact for urgent matters. Use automated responses and FAQs to manage client expectations during periods of lower coverage and ensure communication tools are in place to handle any service disruptions.

5. Communicate to your team

Communicate clearly to facilitate a smooth transition to a 4-day work week. Here are five tips for effective communication:

1. Prepare a clear 4-day work week presentation: Highlight the benefits, including an improved work-life balance and an extra day off per week, and outline how the shift aligns with company goals
2. Address key concerns proactively: Hold Q&A sessions to address questions and concerns about the new framework
3. Set clear expectations: Explain how roles, responsibilities, and performance metrics will be affected
4. Encourage feedback: Set up open feedback loops where employees can share their experiences or concerns about the transition
5. Provide regular updates: Communicate implementation timelines and provide regular updates

6. Define strategies for maintaining productivity and managing the workload

Maintaining productivity during a 4-day work week requires a shift in how teams manage their time and workload. Use strategies like:

1. Time-boxing activities: Allocate specific time slots for each task or meeting, forcing teams to work more efficiently and avoid long, unproductive discussions
2. Streamline meetings: Reduce meeting durations (e.g., 30 mins or less), inviting only necessary participants, and prepare clear agendas to keep meetings focused on outcomes
3. Leverage collaboration tools: Use platforms like Slack, Trello, Asana, or Miro for real-time collaboration and progress tracking, reducing the need for in-person check-ins and helping your people stay connected and organized throughout the week
4. Work alone, together: Avoid groupthink by collaborating on the same problem in real-time and collecting thoughts individually, encouraging better participation and more diverse ideas
5. Always end with a decision: Discuss the next steps in the last few minutes of each meeting, promoting clarity and momentum for actionable outcomes

7. Implement gradually

Implement your 4-day work week gradually to gather valuable insights, help refine the process, assess productivity metrics, and adjust goals based on observed real-world performance.

A practical way to facilitate this is to run a trial period (e.g., a one-month trial) before a full roll-out to test the new framework, identify potential challenges, and gather feedback from your people.

By taking a phased approach, you’ll reduce the risk of operational disruptions once the full program is rolled out. You’ll also have the time to communicate the change clearly and address any concerns your employees or stakeholders may have, supporting stronger buy-in.

8. Monitor the success of the program

Evaluate your 4-day work week by tracking key metrics and performance indicators (KPIs), such as:

• Employee satisfaction: Use surveys to measure employee happiness, morale, and overall work-life balance post the transition
• Productivity: Compare productivity metrics before and after implementation, e.g., task-completion rates and quality of output
• Customer feedback: Monitor customer satisfaction through surveys or direct feedback to gauge how well service levels are maintained or improved
• Absenteeism: Check for any changes in absenteeism or turnover as indicators of the program’s impact on employee wellbeing
• Financial performance: Analyze revenue and operational cost trends to assess the degree to which the program supports long-term business goals

4-day workweek examples around the world

Several companies and countries have run 4-day work week pilot programs over recent years, offering valuable insights into how this model might work for your organization. Let’s consider a few:

Microsoft Japan

In 2019, Microsoft Japan embarked on a 4-day work week trial in which its employees worked only 32 hours per week for the same pay. It was implemented by:

• Closing the company’s offices every Friday during August
• Offering full-time employees special paid leave
• Restricting meetings to 30 minutes
• Encouraging online discussions rather than face-to-face meetings
• Introducing a work-life choice program with support for self-development, family travel, and social contribution activities

The trial yielded several positive outcomes, including:

• 40% higher productivity
• 25% fewer employee days off
• 23% lower electricity costs
• 59% less printing costs
• 50% less time spent in meetings

Despite the trial’s success, an ongoing 4-day work week is yet to be implemented at Microsoft Japan. Possible reasons may include continued assessment of the long-term impacts or concerns about the feasibility of the program on a company-wide basis.

Iceland

Between 2015 and 2019, Iceland trialed a 4-day work week involving more than 2,500 workers across preschools, offices, social service providers, and hospitals.

Workers reported feeling less stressed and having a better work-life balance during the trial. They also spent more time with their families, took on hobbies, and completed pending household chores.

The trial was considered a success by prominent public and private figures, including researchers like Gudmundur Haraldsson:

Icelandic unions negotiated adjusted working patterns after the trial, and over 80% of Iceland’s workforce either moved to shorter hours (for the same pay) or were granted the right to do so.

Marketing Signals

Digital marketing firm Marketing Signals moved all of their full-time employees to 4-day working weeks in May 2022 following a successful trial.

Marketing Signal’s motivation for adopting a 4-day working week was to enhance several key areas, including:

• Lifting productivity levels and wasting less time
• Assisting employees with higher living costs (e.g., childcare costs)
• Boosting employee wellbeing
• Improving retention of existing employees and attracting new talent

The company implemented the change by splitting its workforce into two groups with alternating 4-day work weeks, ensuring full coverage for clients.

Despite informing clients of the new approach, the transition was handled so seamlessly that clients reported not even noticing the change.

Unilever New Zealand

Unilever’s New Zealand division ran a 4-day work week trial from December 2020 to June 2022, with academic support to monitor and measure its impact through online surveys, business metrics, and in-depth interviews.

The trial revealed several benefits, including:

• 67% of employees reported a better work-life balance and improved employee wellbeing
• 33% lower stress levels
• 15% increase in feelings of strength and vigor at work
• 34% lower absenteeism

Unilever’s leadership considered the 4-day work week trial an extension of its commitment to a performance culture:

Following its success, the trial was extended to Unilever’s Australian division.

Buffer

Following a short trial of a 4-day work week in 2020, Buffer decided to continue its 4-day work week indefinitely. The trial resulted in sustained productivity levels and an improved work-life balance, reports Nicole Miller, Director of People at Buffer.

More than 3 years after the trial, the 4-day work week continues to thrive at Buffer with most employees reporting that they want to continue with it for the rest of their careers.

Buffer adopts the following parameters for its 4-day work week:

• Fridays are a default day off for most areas
• Weekly output expectations are determined at a department level
• Employees who do not meet their objectives may choose (or be asked) to work five days
• Managers monitor productivity, OKRs, stress levels, and other metrics on an ongoing basis

Valencia, Spain

Various 4-day work week trials have been run in Spain over recent years, including a month-long trial in Valencia, Spain’s third-largest city. The trial involved over 360,000 workers, a significant proportion of the city’s 800,000 inhabitants.

The results of the Valencian trial revealed:

• Lower stress levels
• Lower fuel emissions
• Adoption of healthier habits, such as participating in sports, resting, eating homemade food, reading, and pursuing hobbies
• Reports of improved happiness, positive moods, and personal satisfaction levels
• Increased use of alcohol and tobacco by some

Overall, Valencia’s positive experience boosted Spain’s support for adopting 4-day work weeks more widely.

Pros and cons of a 4-day work week

Despite its apparent benefits, the 4-day work week offers both advantages and drawbacks for organizations and their people. Here are some to consider before implementation:

Pros of 4-day work weeks

1. Increased productivity: Company trials, like those at Microsoft Japan and Marketing Signals, have shown a boost in productivity, particularly when output can be clearly defined and managed
2. Improved employee wellbeing: Employees report less stress, better work-life balances, and higher job satisfaction
3. Higher retention and attraction: Employee retention and talent attraction improve, with some trials reporting job applicants who strongly prefer 4-day working weeks
4. Lower operational costs: Businesses can reduce costs, such as utility bills and supplies, due to fewer operating hours
5. Environmental benefits: Trials have shown that fewer work commutes result in reduced carbon footprints and other associated benefits, particularly for office-centric industries

Cons of 4-day work weeks

1. Not suitable for all industries: Customer-facing roles or industries requiring continuous service provision may struggle to implement 4-day work weeks without impacting customer service levels
2. Potential for burnout: Compressing hours, e.g., working 40 hours over four days rather than 5, may result in employee burnout if not managed well
3. Difficult to implement seamlessly: Ensuring smooth transitions and maintaining client satisfaction can be a challenge when transitioning to a 4-day model
4. Reduced availability: Companies with a 4-day week may need to ensure they don’t lose business opportunities or access to key employees when they’re needed
5. Costs of transition: Changing workflows, re-training, re-scheduling, and adapting operational protocols can be costly and time-consuming in the short-term

Tips for structuring a 4-day work week schedule

Select the right scheduling approach for your 4-day work week to balance productivity and flexibility at your organization. Common options include:

• Four 10-hour days: Employees maintain full-time hours over fewer days, e.g., 40 hours over four days
• Reduced hours: Employees work fewer hours over fewer days, e.g., 32 hours over four days, with no reduction in pay
• Staggered days off: Divide your workforce into two groups with different days off to ensure full coverage over the week
• Rotating schedules: Rotate days off amongst teams, ensuring equal time off while maintaining productivity

Here are some tips for structuring meetings and schedules efficiently within a shorter working week:

• Limit meeting durations: Keep meetings to shorter timeframes (e.g., 30 minutes) to promote concise discussions and decision-making
• Batch similar tasks: Group similar meetings and tasks together to minimize context-switching and encourage better focus and productivity
• Use asynchronous tools: Replace non-essential meetings with tools like Slack, Trello, or shared docs to communicate updates in real time
• Set clear agendas: Establish a clear purpose for every meeting and stick to it, inviting only essential participants to avoid wasting time
• Designate “meeting-free” days: Allocate specific meeting-free days to allow uninterrupted time for deep work

Deel Engage will support your workforce through the 4-day work week implementation

Deel Engage has powerful tools to help you plan, manage, and successfully implement a 4-day work week at your organization:

1. Create learning journeys to communicate the transition to 4-day work weeks, easily and intuitively, as DataGuard does for its internal training programs by simply dragging and dropping content segments
2. Use AI-powered learning technology to train leaders on change management strategies, effective scheduling, and best practices
3. Collect feedback using automated surveys to gather insights and gauge the success of 4-day work week pilot programs
4. Track key performance metrics and goals to measure the impact of moving to a 4-day work week
5. Ensure managers stay connected with their direct reports during the transition to 4-day work weeks
6. Leverage a powerful HRIS with Deel HR, our global HRIS solution, which is always included for free

Book a demo to discover how we can help you implement a 4-day work week seamlessly and effectively with Deel.