Switching to a 4-day work week made me a believer after 6 months of doubt

I was sure my boss was nuts when he suggested we try a compressed schedule at our little accounting firm in Portland. But after 6 months, my productivity is actually up and I haven't had a single Sunday scaries episode since we started. The key was blocking off Friday mornings for admin catch-up instead of just cramming everything into four days. Has anyone else tried this and found it works better with a specific setup?

3 comments

3 Comments

hannah4006d ago

Oh man, I totally get that Sunday scaries thing disappearing. That alone is worth its weight in gold if you ask me. My old job tried a 4 day week but they just crammed 50 hours into 4 days and it was a nightmare, everyone was burnt out and snapping at each other by Thursday. Your Friday morning buffer idea is smart, you need that breathing room to not feel like you're drowning. It's funny how a little bit of structure makes all the difference between a good schedule and a disaster.

rowan9696d ago

Wait, did you used to think 4 day weeks were automatically better too? I was totally onboard with the idea until I heard stories like yours. That whole cramming 50 hours into 4 days thing sounds awful, like you're just trading one kind of burnout for a faster one. The buffer time is key, without it you're just running on empty from day one.

jamie9404d ago

Yeah, I had a buddy who tried that same 50-hour cram thing and he said he felt like he was stuck in a fast-forward button all week. It's wild how many companies miss the whole point like @hannah400 said, what's the use of an extra day off if you're a wreck getting there?