In the 19th century, a six-day working week was the norm. Then, about 100 years ago, Henry Ford introduced the five-day week. And this week, 70 UK companies – employing around 3,000 staff – have started a trial working a four-day week, but still paying for five. It’s an experiment being managed by a group that includes both Oxford and Cambridge universities.
The obvious challenge is to deliver five days’ work in four days so that neither the employer nor the employee loses out. But I’m more interested in what happens beyond that. The question I’d want the Oxbridge researchers to be investigating is this:
'Will the changes required to effect a four-day week make people more open to the idea of change, i.e. will it make them more adaptable?'
Increasing your days off by 50% is a big deal – even life-changing. And a 25% productivity improvement will pump up the bottom line (it could typically improve profits by 40%). But what then? Will these organisations and their people sit back and bask in the sunshine of their new status quo or will the experience leave them wanting to embrace more change?
If you can change how people think and feel about change, that will prepare them for whatever happens next. Every day they’re at work, they’ll be more engaged, more united, and more confident about facing a future that doesn’t yet exist. And as a result, the organisation won’t just be more efficient, it will be more effective, more responsive, and more innovative. And all of that will improve its chances of survival and growth.
The headlines of this experiment make for compelling reading. But actually, if you’re going to develop your organisational capability, a four-day week should just be a consequence of that development, not its objective. Whatever these organisations learn about their ability to change on their experimental journey will be gold-dust that should be embedded not just into a shorter working week, but into the fabric of their cultures.
I'm an Adaptability Intelligence specialist, so why not call me on 07873 823 800 for an initial discussion?
