A 4 day work week means that employees work 4 days in a week and have 3 days off. This differs from a traditional 5 day work week, where employees work for 5 days and have 2 days off. At Brick Media, we are doing a Monday through Thursday schedule with every Friday off.

We implemented a 4 day work week to improve employee satisfaction, increase productivity, and promote work-life balance. We believe in having all of your cups full, not just your career cup. To accomplish that, we felt we needed a better balance of work and personal life.

No, employees are not required to work longer hours on the 4 days they work. The focus is on output of work and ensuring client work is completed on time.

A direct quote from our CEO:

“It’s not a set number of hours. Whatever it takes to get the work done. More of a focus on output. but from what we‘ve noticed it’s more about creating better efficiency vs. just adding hours. Making people work 40 hours just for the sake of working 40 hours isn’t my style.”

No, full-time salaried employees still receive the same pay for the 4 day work week. Everything stays the same on the employee’s financial side, with one less work day!

Part-time employees simply shift their normal hours into Monday through Thursday. For instance, if somebody typically works 20 hours Monday through Friday and does an average of 4 hours per day, they could simply shift that into Monday through Thursday and do 5 hours per day.

No, Fridays are designated as days off for all employees. Friday is supposed to be treated like a Saturday. For the sake of consistency, and because of how often we all collaborate, we wanted it to be this way.

We think so. There are other industries where switching to a 4 day work week would be much more challenging, such as a restaurant. A lot of social media work can be handled remotely, and social media is also one of those “always-on” things that never truly shuts off.

There are always client needs at odd times, even weekends, such as: Posting a pre-planned piece of content to social media, writing a quick caption, replying to a comment, or answering a message. We are already accustomed to handling these quick needs, and our employees go into the job knowing these requests come up and must be handled. So whether we have a 4 day or 5 day business week, the main difference is just the “bulk” of the work gets done in 4 days instead of 5.

The mindset shift is: Yes, we still handle small client needs at any time of the week, but Friday is no longer a business day for us. So no meetings, content shoots, coming into the office, or handling your larger work tasks. 

We’ve seen zero decline in productivity since implementing the 4 day work week. By focusing on output rather than hours worked, employees are more motivated to complete their work in a timely manner.

Client work is still our top priority and we ensure that all projects are completed on time. We’re just worker smarter and harder for the 4 days after having a long weekend.

We measure productivity by the amount of work (social media content, ad campaigns, etc.) completed and the quality of the work produced. The quality can be measured in many ways, but one major way is by the engagement and reach of the client content.

Because of the way we’re structured with each client, we always have a sense of the client’s satisfaction level, and that is something we measure on an ongoing basis. So far, we’ve seen the amount of work produced is the same without sacrificing quality or client happiness.

While there are many potential benefits to implementing a 4 day work week at your company, there are also some potential downsides to consider.

Here are a few examples:

1. Longer workdays: In some cases, employees may be required to work longer hours on the days they do work in order to complete their work in the shortened workweek. This can lead to fatigue and burnout, especially if employees are not given adequate breaks or opportunities to recharge.
   
   
2. Decreased availability: Clients or colleagues may have difficulty reaching employees on their days off, which can lead to delays or missed opportunities. It’s important to have clear communication protocols in place to ensure that urgent requests are still addressed in a timely manner.
   
   
3. Difficulty coordinating schedules: Depending on the industry or company, coordinating schedules for a 4 day work week can be challenging. For example, if certain employees need to be present in the office or on-site to perform their duties, it may be difficult to coordinate schedules to ensure that all necessary work is covered.
   
   
4. Resistance to change: Some employees or managers may be resistant to changing from a traditional 5 day work week to a 4 day work week. This can lead to tension or dissatisfaction among team members, which can impact overall morale and productivity.
   
   
5. Decreased productivity: While many companies report increased productivity after implementing a 4 day work week, some employees may struggle to stay focused and motivated during longer workdays. This can lead to decreased productivity and quality of work.

We’re not experiencing these issues at Brick Media currently, but we are always monitoring our internal and client satisfaction levels to make sure the 4 day work week is a positive long-term move.

At this time, we plan to continue with the 4 day work week as a permanent schedule. We tested it from January 1, 2023 to March 31, 2023 then decided it was going to be a permanent part of our business going forward.

We’re always open to change, so will this be our schedule forever? Who knows. However, it’s been a terrific move so far and the plan is to keep it.

Yes, the 4 day work week has had a positive impact on our company culture by promoting work-life balance and increasing employee satisfaction. Everybody is able to have an extra day to do whatever they want, whether that be visiting out-of-state friends and family, running errands, going to appointments, having a mental health break, or spending time outside.

Although we don’t have any data to support this yet, our hypothesis is that the 4 day work week will help us to retain employees by offering a more desirable work schedule and improving overall job satisfaction.

However, in a large 4 Day Work Week study done in the UK, the amount of staff leaving companies in the study dropped by 57% during the trial period.

We have not received any negative feedback from clients regarding the quality of our work since implementing the 4 day work week. There are always client issues that happen in a social media agency / client relationship, but we attribute zero issues to the 4 day schedule. Clients have appreciated the forward-thinking nature of our company and many have said they’re curious to try it themselves.

We have processes in place to ensure that urgent client requests are handled appropriately, even on Fridays when the office is closed. Quick requests (any day of the week) are common in the social media industry, and in most cases, people realize that’s just part of what you sign up for.