Journey.
Focus HR has been on a journey for the past two years, working towards implementing the 4 Day Week, achieving 100% productivity, in 80% of the time, with 100% pay. It’s not about compacting 38 hours into four days. It is about being truly efficient at what the business does so that things are done better, faster, and always with unfailing quality
This approach has been proven to have a multitude of benefits, the biggest ones being increased (yes, increased) productivity, profitability and employee well-being. It also increases sustainability and resilience in the business, not to mention the benefits of taking an approach to people that puts you firmly in the ‘employer of choice’ space.
Given all of the benefits for both the business and its people, it is a no-brainer.
That doesn’t mean it is easy though.
And at Focus HR we have been on our own journey to implement this in our business, while making sure that we keep our focus on providing excellent service to our valued clients.
During the last half of 2021 the Focus HR team implemented a mock trial period (a Clayton’s Free Day if you will). This meant that each of our team was taking one day out of each week to work on the business rather than in the business. And our focus on that one day a week was to drive improvements in the systems, templates and knowledge base that we use to deliver quality, timely, and practical products and services to our clients.
We still provided full coverage Monday to Friday with the team spreading their Clayton’s Free Day across the week.
We are so excited to say that since February 2022, each of Focus HR’s full-time team members now works a 4 Day Week. The fifth day is essentially a ‘gift day’ – it is the business’ gift to their team for being awesome and being able to complete 100% of the work in 80% of the time.
We would love to share our thoughts, processes and learnings with you. And of course we are always happy to have a chat about how it’s all working for us – and how it could work for you and your business.
Follow our journey to a 4 Day Week as we share our thoughts.
The 4 Day Week
In The 4 Day Week, entrepreneur and business innovator Andrew Barnes makes the case for the four-day week as the answer to many of the ills of the 21st-century global economy.
Barnes conducted an experiment in his own business, the New Zealand trust company Perpetual Guardian, and asked his staff to design a four-day week that would permit them to meet their existing productivity requirements on the same salary but with a 20% cut in work hours. The outcomes of this trial, which no business leader had previously attempted on these terms, were stunning. People were happier and healthier, more engaged in their personal lives, and more focused and productive in the office.
You can read more about this here
4 Day Week Insights
Focus HR has been on a journey for the past two years, working towards implementing the 4 Day...
Where did all of this start? – Alistair
Like most of my ideas, thoughts and pursuits, the 4 Day Week gem came from a series of books....
Considering the juggle – Jessica
When we were first introduced to the idea of the 4 Day Week I was excited at the concept, and my...
Converting the Sceptic – Naomi
I had a conversation with Alistair about the 4 day week again. He knows that I am a sceptic, he...
Initial thoughts – Eloise
When Alistair first mentioned the idea of a 4 day work week my mind immediately went to longer...
Pitching to the Team – Naomi
We had the discussion with the team where Alistair pitched the 4 day week concept. I say 'pitched'...
After the Pitch – Eloise
Walking into this meeting I was in two minds, full of questions and open to the possibilities. By...
Making a (realistic) Plan – Naomi
So we've had our next session on planning out how to do our 4 day week. And one of the things...
The Road Map – Eloise
I walked into this meeting with a notepad full of questions. I think my biggest hesitation, or the...
What is our Motivation? – Naomi
We had an interesting conversation yesterday about why are we even doing a four day week and it...
Sharing the Journey – Naomi
I finally worked up the guts to share the concept of a 4DW with Scott while we drove north for a...
What is a Clayton’s Gift Day? – Naomi
Tomorrow is the start of our Clayton's Gift Day. I'd never heard of a 'Clayton's' before but...
Are Gift Days really a Gift? – Eloise
Clayton's Gift Days have been interesting to say the least, finding the willpower to not just...
Early Wins – Naomi
Week 1 of our Clayton's Gift Day (CGD) trial is now under our belt. And it feels good… I've split...
One month down… – Naomi
Nearly one month in and I've stuck to my guns at having my Clayton's Gift Day. I've learned so...
Feeling a bit like a Rollercoaster – Naomi
I have to be honest and say that this month has been a real test. A test of will power, a test of...
All I want for Christmas … Naomi
So I've had a hiatus from blogging about our 4 day week journey for a couple of months. Why? Well...
And so it begins … February 2022 – Naomi
Well people … we've done it. Over the past five months, we've built or improved on something like...
There’s no going back! – Jessica
Now that we have been doing the 4 Day Week for a number of months I can honestly love it and...
Never miss an update.
Sign up to our newsletter today.