WATCH: Our 32 Hour Work Week
“Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.”
Despite my initial hesitation - our organization started piloting a 32 hour work week last summer and we won't be going back. Main reason?? Our health!
In addition to many business outcomes - this one thing has directly led to better health outcomes for myself (similarities cited across the team too, but only sharing my own here):
- my own physical health has improved as I've had more time and space to work with my doctors on a health plan
- my mental health is doing better as I'm now able to spend time adventuring in my city and creating with clay, and don't have to sacrifice time with my family to have time for myself
As an employer, my employee's health has always been on my radar from a sick days and providing health insurance perspective... but a 32 hour work week was the only path we saw that could really move the needle. Big thank you to Arielle Sorenson for advocating so strongly here - and letting us get an early taste of what will likely become the future of great work.
Recent studies on 61 companies in the UK have produced similar results (view full details here).
Watch to learn:
What wasn’t working for us before? Weren’t we always a flexible work place?
Why we tested this 32 hour work week
Why not a 4 day work week?
Who suggested it? Was it well received? (spoiler alert - it wasn’t - at first)
What we’ve learned
What we needed in place to get started here
How we tailored this concept to our unique needs and culture
What is Parkinsin’s Law?
Our outcomes and metrics (time code 37:00)