[Replay] We Adopted a 4-Day Workweek - Tash Walker
Oct 30, 2023
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Tash Walker, founder of a firm, shares how implementing a four-day workweek improved relationships and productivity. Clients didn't even notice the change and were impressed with the prioritization of people. The firm saw increased revenues, decreased absenteeism, doubled clients, and improved referrals. The podcast explores the fascination of human behavior, redefining work in professional services, the benefits of a four-day workweek, the importance of rest for creativity, understanding contradictions in human behavior, and exploring new ways of working.
Implementing a four-day work week can lead to improved productivity, increased revenue, and healthier work-life balance.
Reevaluating the relationship between work and productivity is essential, emphasizing the importance of rest, creativity, and quality work over constant availability and long hours.
Deep dives
The Benefits of a Four-Day Work Week
The podcast episode features an interview with Tash Walker, founder of a London-based organization called the Mix, which implemented a four-day work week for its employees. The move was motivated by a desire to address the high levels of stress and lack of work-life balance experienced by many in the workplace. The organization conducted a three-month trial period and found that employees became more productive, experienced improved mental well-being, and took 75% fewer sick days. Revenue also increased by 57%. The shift to a shorter work week allowed employees to prioritize their time, engage in healthier habits, and strengthen relationships with family and friends.
Challenging Conventional Notions of Work
The interview emphasizes the need to challenge conventional notions of work and reevaluate the purpose and value of the time spent in the workplace. It discusses how the prevailing belief that more information and availability equates to productivity is flawed and leads to stress and less effective work. The episode highlights the importance of allowing employees the space and time for creativity, mental rest, and connections with others. Implementing a four-day work week is seen as a means to create healthier work-life balance and prioritize quality over quantity in both work and personal life.
Overcoming Pushbacks and Myths
The interview addresses common pushbacks and myths surrounding the four-day work week, such as the belief that it's not suitable for large organizations. It advocates for simplicity in implementation and highlights examples of successful adoption by various businesses, including large corporations. The episode stresses the necessity of reevaluating the relationship between work and productivity, understanding that being well-rested and engaging in quality work produces better results than constant availability and long hours. It also challenges the notion that more choices and options lead to greater satisfaction, emphasizing the negative effects of excessive consumerism and the need to prioritize meaningful choices instead.
Creating a More Human-centered Future of Work
The episode urges business leaders and entrepreneurs to prioritize empathy and human well-being in their approach to work. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the impact of work on mental and physical health and the need for healthier boundaries between work and personal life. By reframing productivity and success, businesses can focus on producing better work, fostering creativity, and building stronger relationships with clients and employees. Implementing a four-day work week can be a step towards creating a more human-centered future of work.
Tash Walker is the founder of a firm and spends her Fridays making marmalade.
Before instituting a four-day workweek at her firm, The Mix, she barely had time for her relationships. She decided to start doing research about different ways of working. There had to be a better way than the default options of "Summer Fridays" and "flexible work," that never seem to make less anxiety or stress-ridden.
In her research, she discovered many examples of Swedish companies embracing 4-day workweeks and also found that when they instituted it, they often helped improve productivity. After bringing the option to her team at The Mix, they decided to do a three-month trial. They didn't even tell their clients.
The funny thing? The clients didn't even notice. Even better, when they shared it with their clients - they weren't offended. They were curious to learn more and impressed that they had prioritized their people. While many quickly reflex to "well that can't work here," Tash and her team went forward anyway and have shown that a 4-day work week can work and it can work in professional services - an industry where many take for granted the fact that you should always be available for your clients.
Beyond improving the lives of the people at the firm, they achieved some incredible results:
Revenues up 57%
Absenteeism down 75%
Productivity stayed the same
Doubled the number of clients
Client referrals up 50%
Want to learn how to make this happen at your company? You can download their "4-day week" report which is one of the best reports I've seen on the future of work.