Experiences and Challenges of the Four-Day Workweek at Libri and New Code Group
HOW DID WE EVEN GET HERE?
Some people simply dismiss the idea of a four-day workweek, seeing it as unrealistic or unworkable. The first few thoughts are for them.
During the Industrial Revolution, people commonly worked 14–16 hours a day, six days a week. In 1817, factory owner Robert Owen was among the first to reduce the working day to 10 hours and found that productivity did not suffer as a result.
It took another 30 years for the 10-hour working day to be introduced in the United Kingdom. It was only on 1 May 1890, the fourth anniversary of the Haymarket affair, that the Second International took action in support of the eight-hour working day.
We owe the introduction of the five-day workweek to Henry Ford. In Hungary, however, the transition only happened gradually between 1967 and 1984.
Considering the frequency of previous reductions in working hours and the pace of technological development, by 2030 we may be working only 10–20 hours a week. At least according to Thomas Hohensee’s book In Praise of Laziness.
But how could that happen?
Jobs appear and disappear. Human labour is partly or completely replaced by artificial intelligence and robots. And eventually, we may reach a point where eight-hour working days are cut in half or even reduced to a quarter, or where we work only two or three days a week, for four or five hours a day. This is the scenario the author explores in his book.
And in some ways, we are already entering the transition. Several Scandinavian countries have already introduced versions of shorter working weeks, while in Hungary the four-day workweek is only beginning to gain ground.
THE COMPANIES THAT ACTUALLY TOOK THE LEAP
Magyar Telekom has already taken the step many companies are still considering.
Following the results of the first phase of its pilot, the company decided to continue the experiment. From 1 February 2023, additional teams were included, the number of participating employees was doubled, and the testing period was extended to six months.
During our latest webinar, we spoke with Noémi Szeleczky, HR Director at Libri, and our consulting partner Zsófia Zsiska, Managing Director of New Code Group, about why they decided to introduce the four-day workweek, what challenges they encountered and what they learned during the pilot.
More than 110 people from 20 different industries attended the webinar, so it is fair to say that this is a topic companies are taking seriously.
LESSONS FROM THE PANDEMIC ALSO HELPED
At Libri, the first conversation about the four-day workweek started at an end-of-year event at the initiative of the owners. The initial reaction was surprise, followed by a number of questions about why the change was needed. Soon, however, they began to see it as an opportunity and started moving towards implementation.
The main objective was to preserve and further strengthen work-life balance, which had already been a priority for the organization.
“In a way, Libri sells a form of relaxation that goes beyond physical books. The idea of experimenting with a four-day workweek fits very naturally with this, in addition it is also aligned with our organizational culture.”
— Noémi Szeleczky
It was important for Libri that employees’ rights should not be compromised in any way during implementation. Their experience during the pandemic also gave them the confidence to proceed. During a period of global uncertainty, they had already seen that employees continued to work responsibly.
Instead of a 40-hour week, they moved to a 34-hour workweek, which meant working an additional 30 minutes on each working day. Employees were repeatedly reminded that this was a test period. They were also given the choice of whether they wanted to join the pilot, and discussed their decision with their direct managers.
New Code Group joined the project along the way. They have been monitoring feedback month by month from both employees participating in the pilot and those who are not.
“The process is like any other change project. It takes time for the change to become the new normal, but after only a few months we can already see that the initial fears have disappeared and the four-day workweek is becoming natural.”
— Zsófia Zsiska, Managing Director of New Code Group
EXPERIENCES WITH THE FOUR-DAY WORKWEEK
Extending deadlines could not be an option.
At the beginning, one of the main concerns was how the same amount of work could fit into less time. There were fears that there would no longer be time for shared lunches or coffee breaks because everyone would constantly be rushing. In practice, however, these concerns proved unfounded. Instead, employees became more focused on the tasks that needed to be completed. People prepared better for meetings, and meetings consistently had an agenda.
Scheduled meeting times were reduced to 50 minutes, while people also became more empathetic towards one another.
At the same time, operational problems began to surface. Previously, there had been enough time to work around some inefficient processes. With less time available, these issues could no longer be ignored.
Meeting deadlines had initially been a concern, and there were suggestions that some deadlines should simply be extended. This was not considered an option. Instead, the company reviewed the efficiency of its processes. Everyone went through their own tasks and identified activities that could be eliminated or redesigned.
Joint programmes are also organized on some of the Fridays that remain free.
KEY PEOPLE AND COMMUNICATION
Employees who did not participate in the pilot received financial compensation, although this was not universally well received.
One piece of feedback was that there could have been more communication around the change. This is not unfamiliar territory for HR professionals. No matter how much information is communicated and how many different channels are used, there will always be employees feeling that communication was insufficient.
Senior and middle managers, particularly those who work closely with employees, play an enormous role in implementation. So, organizational development support is important when it comes to improving and redesigning processes.
Managing relationships with the company’s external partners was also challenging. Here, clear communication and the involvement of the relevant business functions are essential in order to make sure that meetings can still be accommodated within the four-day working week.
Both companies agreed on one point: when testing a four-day workweek, involving an external expert is strongly recommended, ideally from the initial assessment and planning phase onwards.
