MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2023 22 · SBJ.NET FROM THE COVER The U.K. study found employees reported less stress and burnout, and even improved sleep, according to an executive summary of the findings by Autonomy, the research group that conducted the study. Choate said the pandemic paved the way for many businesses to think about work differently. “COVID was a catalyst,” she said. “It opened our eyes to help us see that work can be done in a number of different ways. We found that what works for one individual may not necessarily work for another.” During the pandemic, businesses engaged in work-from-home models and other alternative models for getting work done. “It allowed workers to flex their life around their work and not the other way around,” she said. “Being flexible and being adaptable is absolutely key to recruiting and retaining employees.” She added that in southwest Missouri, four-day workweeks are typically administered on a case-by-case basis, rather than with an entire workplace limiting its hours. Nothing new for some While the idea of a shortened workweek is novel for some, it’s not new for medical professionals. “Hospitals have been on this kind of schedule for a very long time,” said Katelyn Lenhart, administrative director of workforce development, recruitment and retention for CoxHealth. “The fact that we’re open 24-7 allows for greater flexibility.” Nurses often work three 12-hour shifts, or 36 hours, per week, and Lenhart said other hospital workers have three- or four-day full-time schedules, too. In most sectors, a four-day workweek suggests a Monday through Thursday schedule. In the hospital, coverage is needed at all times, and work schedules can vary. “Our employees are very appreciative of the flexibility, but it may not work for every business,” Lenhart said. She added that more flexible workers are often more engaged. Often, people choose hospital work because of the flexibility, Lenhart said, as this can give them a chance to engage with their families or to take advantage of child care opportunities. Another area where a four-day workweek is becoming more common is in public school education. Mike Henry is superintendent of the Marshfield R-I School District, which went to a four-day school schedule this year. It’s a trend that is on the rise in Missouri’s schools; data from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and Missouri State University College of Education shows that roughly 12% of the state’s public school K-8 students now attend classes four days per week. In Marshfield, the change has affected not only students but also district employees. The change was brought on by the pandemic, Henry said. “I had a teacher – she was not griping or complaining, but she said, ‘Mr. Henry, I have to make a decision: Do I fail the kids in my classroom, or do I fail the kids in my home?’” he said. “I knew I had to come up with something.” Teachers are salaried, he said, so pay is the same regardless of how they configure the hours they work. Henry said classified staff, such as custodians, needed a different model, one that wouldn’t reduce their annual pay. Marshfield offered 10 flex days – personal time off to be used over a 12-month period – and that had the effect of increasing the hourly rate. “It wasn’t costing the district more, and seeing the hourly rate was really good for attracting people,” he said. Henry said it’s important to restore margins in life. “It’s not a school issue; it’s a societal issue,” he said. “If I can help provide some of that margin and make sure people know they’re cared about, the product they produce for us is better. Having them feel like they’re valued is a good thing.” Sullivan of Fried Design shares that sentiment. “We have people with families, people who don’t have families, people who are single and married and everything in between, and it helps people have that extra time to do whatever they want to with it,” he said. Once he started offering a shortened workweek, Sullivan said he realized it would be hard to take it back. “We’re at a stage now where I don’t think we would ever go back,” he said. Fried Design can expect company. In the second annual EY Future Workplace Index, a survey by Ernst & Young LLP, 40% of companies responding said they had either started using a four-day workweek or are in the process of implementing one. Despite glowing results from the U.K. study, some worry the model might expand inequalities between knowledge workers and flexible or manual workers, according to a report by human resources company Adecco. Expense is another concern cited; Adecco points out that in a Swedish twoyear trial of a 30-hour workweek, worker satisfaction was high, but the experiment became too costly to continue. Additionally, although companies in the U.K. study received training to prepare for the transition, companies that make the switch on their own may find the change hard on employees and customers, at least at the outset, according to Fast Company magazine. In a recent interview with SBJ, Abbye Bobbett, architect and chief operations officer of the newly established Kinetic Design and Development LLC, said the four-day workweek was a choice centered on putting staff first. “It’s just been incredible to see the amount of work we’ve done and still how happy our people are,” Bobbett said. • Workweek: Shortened schedule begins catching on in public schools Continued from page 1 4-day workweek a success in UK trial A trial of the four-day workweek was conducted in the United Kingdom from June to December 2022 and included some 2,900 workers from 61 companies, according to a report by the British research group Autonomy. The experiment was organized by 4 Day Week Global, a nonprofit organization that aims to reduce working hours worldwide. Companies from diverse sectors and sizes participated in the study, with the requirement that they maintain pay at 100% but offer a meaningful reduction in work time. Of the 61 companies that participated, 56 are continuing with four-day workweeks, and 18 confirm the policy as a permanent change, the report states. The following findings were reported: • 39% of employees reported being less stressed, and 71% reported reduced levels of burnout. • 54% of workers said it was easier to balance work with household tasks. • 62% of workers said it was easier to combine work and social life. • Company revenue rose by 1.4% on average from the start of the trial to the end of it. Compared to the period of June to December 2021, data provided by 24 of the organizations showed average revenue increases of 35%. • Staff exits dropped by 57% during the trial period. • 15% of workers said no amount of money would make them accept a return to a five-day schedule. • 48% of employees reported more job satisfaction than when the trial started. Sources: Autonomy, “The Results Are In: The UK’s Four-Day Week Pilot” and Bloomberg, “World’s Largest FourDay Work Week Trial Finds Few Are Going Back” REBECCA GREEN NO GOING BACK Josh Sullivan, founder of Fried Design Co., offers workers every other Friday off without requiring the hours to be put in elsewhere.
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