Pilot projects with four working weeks days were carried out and succeeded in Great Britain. Why did your agency choose to make the leap a year ago?
For us, it was the logical evolution of our employer brand and the logical continuation of our employee experience. We have been B Corp certified since 2018, a certification given to companies that meet the highest standards of social and environmental responsibility. We have always had the well-being of our employees at heart. It has been in our DNA since our creation.
Did you say overnight that you were going to four days a week?
No. We had to prepare over a period of about six months. I always say that you have to work hard to work less. Making an organizational change like this takes a lot of planning. First, we determined what we wanted to measure after implementing the four-day week: stress at work, work-life balance, creativity, turnover rate. These indicators allow us to have a clear picture of our team performance, but also of our team feeling. Second, the question that needed to be answered wasn’t how to fit five days into four days, but rather how to use our 32 hours a week. We reviewed our processes, the way we held our meetings – we reduced the duration by 20% thanks to in-depth preparation. We also revised our schedule so that we have periods of deep work all synchronized at the same time. We grouped recurring tasks [task batching] of less than ten minutes by allocating them a period. It was necessary to announce this to customers and determine a plan in the event of an emergency.
Once you were well prepared, how did you start the four-day week?
With the help of Boîte Pac, a company that had supported us in B Corp certification, we determined that it had to be done in a drastic and not progressive manner. We chose a date and started with a three-month pilot project. We were in constant communication with our customers and with the team to ensure that this change suited everyone. We allowed ourselves this freedom to say: does this change serve us or not? After three successful months across the board, this pilot project has officially become our new reality.
But you still went through certain phases before reaching balance?
We followed the same phases as any change. Whether in your personal or professional life, there is always the honeymoon, where you only see the good sides. Then, after a period of about three months, certain doubts set in, we see the downsides. The four-day week requires a lot of rigor. Each meeting must be well prepared, each day must be well planned, and this rigor, sometimes, can rhyme with rigidity. Reduced work time can lead to communication and coordination challenges, because people have their to-do list and are trying to check things off their list. In our industry, fall and spring are very busy. When we were faced with these busy periods, we had to face this additional adaptation, while the five days gave us a little more time. The important thing is to verbalize these emotions, simply to say “I find it hard at the moment” takes the pressure off. It was really with a very open dialogue, by being honest, that we managed to get through that year, and then to be really satisfied with this change.
What changes did you ultimately observe?
We have seen an increase in creativity, productivity, a 20% increase in work-life balance. It increased employee engagement. We saw a decrease of 67% turnover rate and a 40% reduction absenteeism rate. All with general satisfaction rated at 9.3/10. The four days are also a concrete commitment to gender equality. This allows women who have more tasks at home to take advantage of Friday to do them without having an impact on the possibility of promotion and on their career. This new schedule also reduces the agency’s carbon footprint, and it has strengthened our employer brand.