SMTP2GO recently offered staff the opportunity to work a four-day week and we are loving it!
I was talking to a contact, who works for one of the large contact center software providers we use, telling her about our new four-day week. ‘Ooooh, cut backs?’ she asked. ‘Oh, goodness, no! This is just something for our pleasure,’ I replied. She was shocked and impressed and, possibly, jealous in equal measure! I just found it a little sad that the first assumption was that it was a financially driven decision when, in fact, it’s all about staff well-being.
Trials of four-day weeks have been taking place all over the world and, on the whole, are an overwhelming success with productivity remaining the same – or improving – in the majority of workplaces.
As a working mum to two almost teenagers, time is a very precious commodity in our house! On a personal note, I can’t believe the difference having an extra day off in the weeks makes. It feels like a holiday every week! My working days are longer but, weirdly, the time passes much more quickly. I definitely feel calmer/less frantic and, for the first time in a very long time, have time to enjoy an extra coffee and actually get into the garden to smell the roses.
I spoke to some of my colleagues and here’s what they said about working a four-day week:
“I now have more time for me, my family, my other interests and my errands. Working a four-day week means that I can arrange appointments and my to-do-list for my day off, which means that work days are completely uninterrupted. I feel like I’m in a much better frame of mind, as I no longer fear Monday mornings! The weekends are now for family rather than squeezing in chores.” – Louise.
“Working a four-day week has allowed me to have more time at home and to further myself outside of the workplace. This has created some essential downtime, where I can take Spanish lessons, go for appointments and do extracurricular activities inside of “core business” hours. This means that I can start my day off slower and end it slower! All in all, I have found myself to be more productive as I’m not worrying about ‘fitting everything in’ to the normal five-day week routine.” – David.
“A four-day week already has been, and will be, life-changing! Personally, it’s made me feel like I am in less of a rush with my personal life. I can go away at the weekend, or have more plans than usual without asking myself: ‘Should I? I’ll be exhausted on Monday’. I can spend the entire weekend with friends and leave any admin or chores that have built up for the 3rd day off, or even just recharge. Also, as I live in a different country to my family, it will make it so much easier to visit home more often. As for how this has affected my work, I’d say it’s not made a difference. If anything, the extra rest helps me be more productive.” – Teresa.
“Working a four-day week gives me that extra day to catch up on all the ‘to-dos’ I’ve put off during the week and, if I’m all caught up, that’s an extra day roaming the Scottish countryside with my dog, Hux.” – James.
I think it’s fair to say that enabling staff to have an extra day off each week is nothing but positive. I can feel that our team is happier and, yes, more productive. We also feel very fortunate and this increases our loyalty to the company even further. While it does take a huge amount of organization and schedule crunching to get it set up, it’s a no-brainer! All hail the four-day week!
About the author
Charlotte James
Charlotte specialises in email deliverability and inbox placement. Writing for SMTP2GO since 2014, she has explored topics such as authentication protocols, bounce handling, deliverability strategies and real-world customer success stories. Her work focuses on helping senders navigate the technical and policy changes - from evolving ISP requirements to authentication standards - that influence email performance.
