The 4 work-day week

Seven steps to get your boss buy-in

By Ricardo L. Von Groll

The trend of a four-day work week raises questions on how to cope with the work demand and productivity. When asked about the possibility of implementing it in the company, people in charge need to be convinced.

If you are trying to implement the four-day work week within your company, here are eight effective steps we used in our company to help you get your ‘boss’ to buy-in.

1. Analyze if it fits the company

There is no better way to start the process than with some questions and answers. Answer the following questions and any others you feel necessary: Do most employees like this idea? Is everyone willing to help in the implementation of this new work model? Do the leaders agree to help look for arguments that support the idea?

2. Show it to “the boss”

Schedule a meeting with the responsible people. Tell them you have intentions to implement the four-day work week and why. Before ‘the boss’ asks the questions in item 1, explain your analysis of the favorable conditions (the answers for the previous questions and any other you consider relevant). It is very important to show confidence to get the buy-in.

3. Explain the benefits for employees

Organizing personal matters and tasks can be complex in an eight-hour day, five-day work week. Simple tasks such as going to the bank or a doctor’s appointment are not always possible. An extra day off during the week would help the employee find their best work-life balance. Present any other argument you have detected in your analyses.

4. Demonstrate the positive results for the company 

 As you have researched before, show your findings with proven trustful and relevant results for productivity and performance in a 4-day work week. For instance, a better work-life balance increases employee satisfaction, raising performance and productivity.

5. Mention the money saving

With the help of the responsible department, calculate how much the company spends for all employees to work five days on basic expenses such as power, water, telephone, office supplies and even coffee. Check out the costs associated with companies that operate remotely. It is a strong argument to use. What would be the expense reduction with one less day of work?

6. Show that everyone is willing to face new challenges

This is the time to work hard. The bosses must be confident that you will not let them down. Most employers like to see for themselves the professional attitude of their employees. Show how to maintain performance and achieve results in four days of work. 

7. Propose a test

This is the most important step. Things don’t happen overnight. Show that everyone is open to trying it. Then your bosses can evaluate the experience and buy it (or not). A suggestion here is a three-month test. 

Last, everyone must be willing to return to work for five days if needed. The responsible people will be watching closely.

Ricardo L. Von Groll  is a manager at Talentify. Reduce recruitment costs and get better candidates using the programmatic, AI-driven Talentify platform.