How to Ask Your Employer for a Four-Day Workweek
Four-day work weeks are becoming typical perks employees are looking for from their employers. If you like the idea of having a free day every week to schedule appointments for you or your family members, you may be wondering if it’s possible to convince your employer to agree to work a four-day workweek.
There are various ways to organize a shorter work week, including increasing the amount of time you work for the four days, to agreeing to a reduction in salary. It would be best if you proposed a foolproof plan to get your employer to agree to a four-day workweek.
Steps to Creating a Request for a Four-Day Workweek
Here are steps you may take to submit a request to your employer for a four-day workweek:
1. Create a Proposal
Let’s be honest; you can’t walk into your employer’s office for a four-day workweek and hope he says yes. You must develop a well-thought-out proposal highlighting the benefits to the company and fellow employees. If you haven’t written a proposal before, you may want to learnhow to write a project proposal.
Outline how you plan to accomplish your responsibilities while maintaining or improving your productivity with a shorter workweek. Ensure your pitch is detailed, precise, and not simply about how it benefits you.
Suppose someone else in the company is currently working a four-day workweek or has a similar flexible work arrangement. In that case, you may consider including it in your proposal, so your idea doesn’t seem like it’s coming from the left field.
If you’ve had previous experience working with a similar schedule, you can discuss how it worked, staying positive and focusing on how your proposed work schedule could help everyone achieve their goals. The goal is to exhibit that your performance won’t be affected and the quality of your work will be even better because there will be no time to waste.
While developing your proposal, please consult with the different areas of your company to understand their needs. Your proposal should involve every department of the company, and their input should be included.
The legal department can help you clarify the agreement’s wording, and HR managers can help you compile resources that employees will need. Remember, a shorter workweek can impact every company area, so you want to create a proposal that works for everyone.
2. Provide Examples Where Four-Day Workweeks Have Worked
When creating your proposal, including real-world examples of companies that have experienced positive results from shortened workweeks can help. A well-known example of a successful four-day workweek can be found in Perpetual Guardian, a New Zealand estate planning firm’s experience.
Andrew Barnes, the company’s founder, decided to move to a four-day workweek after reading about a survey that indicated a severe lack of productivity among UK employees. The study of 2,000 office workers found that a small number worked a full day, even though there were at the office.
After reading that many employers were working an average of two hours and 53 minutes a day, Barnes shifted to a four-day workweek without changing salaries or making them work longer hours to see if it would change productivity. The experiment worked, and not only were employees more productive, but they also reported being less stressed, and engagement increased.
Microsoft Japanalso tried a shorter workweek, resulting in a 40% increase in productivity. If you’re looking for ways to increase your productivity, you might be interested inthe best time-blocking apps to supercharge your productivity.
3. Be Prepared for Resistance to Your Proposal
After you submit your proposal, it’s possible to anticipate that there may be pushback from your employer. It would be best if you considered why your employer may say no to your submission and anticipated those concerns with potential solutions. If you struggle with a fear of rejection, you may want to learn aboutapps to overcome the fear of rejection and progress your career.
Your employer may have questions like what happens if someone needs to get in touch with you on the day you’re not in the office. They may also want to know how you will do the work you currently handle with a 20% reduction in working time.
Before you submit your proposal, you need to ask yourself if you’re willing to reduce pay to work a shorter workweek. Many employees are working four-day workweeks and earning an adjusted salary based on the shorter work schedule.
If you’re comfortable with a salary reduction, you may want to clarify that in your proposal. More companies are seeing the value of a shorter workweek. They are adopting the practice without a salary cut, so you may want to consider that in your proposal, depending on your company’s culture.
4. Be Specific About What’s Staying the Same and What’s Changing
Make sure your proposal is easy to understand and read so your employer knows what to expect if they agree to the request. A shortened workweek can be a significant change, so your proposal needs to specify what will change and remain the same.
Your employer will find it easier to weigh the risks if you clearly outline the pros and cons, and they will be more likely to approve your request if it’s clear. If you’re considering getting a side hustle, you may be interested inthe pros and cons of being an online freelancer.
A valuable way to organize the changes and the constants is to go through each department of the company and discuss the changes and the steps that will be taken to ensure processes still function.
You can take a top-down approach, moving from the most senior levels of the company down to teams and workers. With this approach, you can show your employer what will change and who will be most impacted.
5. Suggest a Trial Period
You can improve the chances of your employer agreeing to your proposal by suggesting a trial period. Positioning your proposition as an experiment means it’s for a limited time, and your employer can test it and see if it works for everyone.
If it doesn’t work out, things return to how they were, or you can try something different. Don’t become disillusioned if your employer doesn’t agree to your proposal.
Ask if you can revisit the proposal at another time. Four-day workweeks are becoming more popular, and things could change, and the company and your employer may be ready to embrace a shorter workweek.
6. Identify the Intended Benefits of the Proposal
An essential part of your proposal is highlighting the benefits of your request. You can refer to studies on the benefits of a four-day workweek.
If you don’t emphasize the proposal’s benefits early on in the document, the reader may not make it past the first page. Benefits include better work-life balance since an extra personal day gives employees time to work on hobbies and personal projects and spend time with their family.
Working long hours can contribute to stress, which negatively impacts health. A shorter workweek can improve work-life balance and positively affect their health so that they can do their best work.
Employees are more productive when they are given sufficient time to relax and rest. They won’t suffer from burnout from working long hours.
A short workweek can be a competitive hiring advantage. Employees are increasingly seeking employment with organizations that value flexible scheduling and work-life balance. Employees love working at a company where management values employee satisfaction.
Get Ready for a Shorter Workweek!
You want to create a proposal that you’re confident your employer can’t say no to. Review it a few times, ensure there aren’t any spelling or grammatical mistakes, and have someone read it and play devil’s advocate to confirm your document is solid.
As you prepare for a shorter workweek, you may want to learn techniques to help you use your time more efficiently. Practices like front-loading your workweek can help you finish your work in less time without feeling pressured.
Looking for a better work schedule and increase your productivity at work? Frontloading your week can help. Find out how!
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