The advantages of having more personal time are undeniable.
Yet, after spending three years working a four-day week at a Director level, I found myself burned out, and questioning whether this model truly works for everyone.
This experience led me to explore how the four-day workweek is being implemented in other organizations to address the unique pressures faced by leadership roles.
While online data is limited, somewhat fragmented, and often influenced by specific interest groups, a few trial reports did provide practical strategies to improve working conditions and address some of the challenges associated with a compressed work schedule.
This research, along with my own work observations, has formulated the 4 ways to optimize the 4-day work week.
“As a Director, I had more content to follow, review and provide feedback on each week.
Each day was so dense with information and importance, that any extra absences was a strain.”
4 Ways to Optimize the 4-day Work Week
1. Work compression – needs to be addressed, and acknowledged.
An increase in intensity can be detrimental to one’s health, especially when it becomes the norm.
Identify roles that are most affected, and consult them to meet their pacing needs.
2. Leadership buy-in and a willingness to rethink “the way we’ve always done things” are critical.
Output expectations must be aligned across all parties influencing contracts, and production road maps.
3. Invest the proper time to develop, iterate and support an approach based on specific project needs.
This is not a one – size – fits all solution, and requires the right individuals understanding the needs of each discipline, and their dependencies at the helm.
4. Leadership training and sensible scheduling can save this working model.
Proper training and time invested to keep your leadership healthy is crucial for the success at any company, and for any number of days worked.
Leads and Directors understand the needs for their team to thrive. Allow them to advise the scheduling, and call out dependencies on road-maps early.
Take-away from research
Perhaps the biggest takeaway is that a four-day week forces organizations to value quality of work over quantity of hours. In creative endeavours, where output is hard to measure by the clock, this can be very liberating.
When executed thoughtfully, a four-day work week can create a virtuous cycle: employees have better well-being and loyalty, which leads to equal or better productivity and creativity, which in turn validates the shorter week as a sustainable practice.
It’s not a universal solution for every company or every team.
Addressing potential challenges and implementing safeguards against burnout are essential for making the transition successful.
Published on April 6th, 2025.
References:
The information was drawn from a variety of sources, including news articles, company press releases, and research reports.
Key sources include results from the 4 Day Week Global trials, reporting by The Guardian, and Cambridge researchers on the UK pilot, industry interviews on GamesIndustry.biz and Washington Post for game studio experiences, and first-hand accounts from companies like Eidos Montréal, Blackbird Interactive, Young Horses, Hutch Games, Bandai Namco Mobile, VIA Agency, and others.