Inspired by the success of the UK pilot led by 4 Day Week – Global, we initiated our own four-day work week trial in early 2023. In the ecology sector, long and often irregular fieldwork hours are common, particularly during the summer months.
As our business has evolved over the last few years, the technical expertise required has become increasingly more complex and demanding. We have expanded our invertebrate services, launched an innovative ecoacoustics offering for regenerative agriculture, viticulture and BNG monitoring, and developed a pioneering soil acoustics service to assess soil health. With these advancements, we wanted to explore a new way of working, as studies have shown that a four-day work week can enhance focus and productivity, and we wanted to see if it could also improve our team’s work-life balance without compromising on our business profitability.
As a result, our office is now closed every Friday. Incoming calls are diverted to a Director, ensuring that urgent matters can be addressed promptly, while non-urgent issues are handled on Monday.
Throughout the course of the trial, we checked in with our team every three months, asking them to describe in three words how they spend their extra day off. Initially, responses focused on everyday life-admin. However, as the guilt of extra time off faded, answers began to reflect recreational activities, outdoor adventures and quality time with family and friends.
The trial proved to be a resounding success, significantly boosting employee morale and reducing sick days, all while maintaining the quality of our work and our ability to meet deadlines. Notably, the four-day week has also helped us to attract top talent, as a sustainable work-life balance becomes increasingly essential, especially in the wake of hybrid-working shift prompted by the pandemic.
If you’re exploring whether a 4-day week might work for your business, you need to focus on the key elements that drive the success of your business so you can determine how you and your team can utilise your time more efficiently and effectively.
Read the full article on the Countryside Jobs Service website here.
The Baker Consultants team is highly experienced and we are passionate about what we do. If you need advice related to ecology, surveys or conservation, then please get in touch with us via our contact form on the website, or you can call us on +44 (0)1629 593958 or email us on info@bakerconsultants.co.uk.