How to design a work week that supports business growth
Growing a business means thinking outside of the box, especially when it comes to the work week. You need to think beyond the traditional 9am to 5pm setup, as a structured five-day work week isn’t always the right approach. Though it works for some industries and teams, it’s not for everyone. Designing the best work week for your business helps to prevent employee burnout, drive innovation and attract top talent, giving your business what it needs to grow.
The Link Between Work Weeks and Sustainable Business Growth
Don’t underestimate the importance of choosing the right work week for your business, especially when it comes to growth.- Employee Wellbeing Drives Productivity – Happier, healthier employees are more productive, and a productive team is one of your greatest assets. Burnout, absenteeism and staff stress cost your business a lot of money in terms of productivity and turnover. But, a work week that allows time for rest and a personal life helps staff to stay energised and mentally tuned in.
- Talent Retention Becomes Easier – Gone are the days of working 9 to 5, Monday to Friday being the norm. Talent today, especially amongst Millennials and Gen Z, are more focused on having a healthy work-life balance and flexibility. Businesses that offer modern, adaptable work weeks are more likely to retain top talent, reduce costly staff turnover and have a team that’s able to support growth.
- Flexible Work Weeks Boost Engagement – When employees have a say in when and where they work, they tend to be more engaged and committed to the business. A flexible work week gives employees a sense of autonomy, making them feel in control of their role, which leads to job satisfaction and high performance.
Popular Work Week Models That Support Business Growth
There’s nothing to say that you have to stick to a 5-day, in-person work week. If it’s not working for you, your team and business growth, consider changing things up. The 4-Day Work Week A number of businesses have embraced the 4-day work week in recent years, with the majority finding it to be hugely successful. Employees work 4 days, for the same pay and with the same productivity expectations. Though it doesn’t work for all industries, it’s popular in creative industries and amongst businesses wanting to improve work-life balance for employees. A 4-day work week can increase productivity, reduce stress and improve morale, without compromising on the amount of work being done. Hybrid Work Model A hybrid work week combines in-office and remote work, giving employees the opportunity to balance both. Typically, staff spend 2 or 3 days in the office per week, the rest working remotely. It enables face-to-face collaboration, whilst also offering hybrid flexibility to those who need it.Hybrid work weeks can reduce overhead costs and commuting stress, at the same time as building a strong team culture. Condensed Hours If you’re not confident a 4-day work week is enough time to keep up with your business’ workload, consider condensed hours. With this approach, employees work standard full-time hours, but spread across fewer days. For example, they work 40 hours across 4 longer days, rather than 40 hours across 5 standard days. Employees benefit from extended weekends, while your business maintains the same output.
How to Design a Work Week to Boost Business Growth
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to designing a work week, especially when it comes to business growth. You need to think about your team’s strengths and how they align with your growth goals, and identify the type of work week that supports your plans going forward.- Define Your Business Priorities – It’s important to identify what matters most to your business. You might need more creativity, or you might need to work fast to get products to customers. You might want to provide flawless customer service, or you might want to encourage innovation within your internal team and move ahead of your competitors. Understanding your business priorities helps you to design a work week that supports those goals.
- Understand Your Team’s Needs – Conduct surveys or interviews to find out when and where employees do their best work, what challenges they face with their current schedule, and how flexibility might improve their performance or reduce stress. With this information, you’ll have a better idea of what your team needs from a work week, and whether that differs from one department to the next.
- Identify Your Core Requirements – Identify the non-negotiables of your work week. For example, do certain teams need to be available during fixed hours, and do you need set collaboration windows across different time zones? Do clients expect certain availability from your team or speedy replies? Build your work week around this, and then allow flexibility outside of these core requirements.
- Choose a Model or Combine Work Week Elements – You don’t have to commit to just one structure, and there’s nothing stopping you from blending work week models. For example, you could have a hybrid setup that also allows remote work with flexible hours. You could choose a condensed 4-day work week, whilst also allowing employees to work remotely one or two days. Design a work week that supports your business growth by picking and choosing different elements to create a bespoke approach.
- Trial a Work Week and Measure Success – Before rolling out a permanent change and getting everyone on board, trial your freshly designed work week. Launch a 3 month trial with a small team or department, and see how they get on. Set clear metrics for success – such as productivity, engagement, turnover and output quality – and gather feedback during the trial. You can then make changes on what works, and what doesn’t.
