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Summary of The 4 Day Week
Short summary
Chances are you've heard of the 4-day week concept. If you haven't, then you're a little behind on the issues of work. But don't worry, this summary will serve as the eye-opener you need.
You will find out what the 4-day week is all about, why it's what businesses and workers need now (which explains why it went so viral in such a short time), as well as how to effectively implement it in your organization.
Apart from being an astute businessman, Andrew Barnes is a normal guy who got the idea for a new work concept and decided to experiment with it in his organization. He's no magician; he just caught the idea for an innovation that's long overdue.
The world needs the 4-day week now more than ever. Jump in to learn what it is and how it can help you boost personal and corporate productivity.
“The countries and organizations that can crack the code of the 4-day week first could build a competitive advantage, if they can implement it in a way that maximises the well-being benefit on the longer term while minimizing the short-term rise in labour and operational costs.” ~ Ben Laker and Thomas Roulet
14 min
7 key points
6 insights
Table of content
- Summary of The 4 Day Week
- About the author
- What is The 4 Day Week about?
- Who should read The 4 Day Week
- Topics in The 4 Day Week
first key point
4-day week: a revolutionary concept that could change the future of work
Listen the first key point
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Flexible work arrangements (FWA), a.k.a., flextime, is a concept that began gaining traction in the last decade. It refers to any work arrangement outside the usual 40-hour week. Common FWAs include telecommuting, part-time work, remote work, and condensed workweeks. The closest thing to the 4-day week is part-time work where workers negotiate to work fewer days a week and receive less than the salaries of their full-time counterparts. The 4-day week is radically different from part-time work in that workers are allowed to work only four days a week but get paid 100% salaries provided they can put in 100% of the productivity level required of them.
Strange as it may sound, giving workers an extra day off each week has made several companies more productive.
Andrew Barnes got the idea for the 4-day week on a plane after reading an issue of the Economist. The issue reported two productivity pieces of research conducted in Canada and the United Kingdom. The studies showed that office workers were productive only 1.5 - 2.5 hours of the eight hours they should be working. Andrew developed a hypothesis that giving workers a free day off every week will make them more engaged, leading to increased productivity and profitability. But it was just a hypothesis, and he needed a way to test it.
His organization, Perpetual Guardian, became the guinea pig of this innovative idea. He researched business leaders who may have tried the concept in the past but couldn't find any, so he knew there was a lot of work to do.
Andrew wanted to try the hypothesis to see how it will go. He got the consent of other people in management then shared the idea with his employees. Two external researchers were recruited to make the trial more effective.
They did it for two months. The result was outstanding. Today, Perpetual Guardian has implemented the 4-day week as part of their organization's policy.
News media in New Zealand got wind of the success of their experiment and sought to interview Andrew about his idea. In social media terminology, the concept went “viral.” Today, it's being discussed in 75 countries, and governments of several nations are considering making the concept a law. Whether you're new to the 4-day week or not, in this summary, you will learn its incredible advantages to businesses and the world at large, how to implement it in your organization, and basic things to avoid to make the concept work for you.
His organization, Perpetual Guardian, became the guinea pig of this innovative idea. He researched business leaders who may have tried the concept in the past but couldn't find any, so he knew there was a lot of work to do.
Andrew wanted to try the hypothesis to see how it will go. He got the consent of other people in management then shared the idea with his employees. Two external researchers were recruited to make the trial more effective.
They did it for two months. The result was outstanding. Today, Perpetual Guardian has implemented the 4-day week as part of their organization's policy.
News media in New Zealand got wind of the success of their experiment and sought to interview Andrew about his idea. In social media terminology, the concept went “viral.” Today, it's being discussed in 75 countries, and governments of several nations are considering making the concept a law. Whether you're new to the 4-day week or not, in this summary, you will learn its incredible advantages to businesses and the world at large, how to implement it in your organization, and basic things to avoid to make the concept work for you.
second key point
Work is becoming increasingly stressful, and it's making both businesses and workers lose money
If we were to freeze-frame the world of work as it is today, here are the things you will see:
Full summary is waiting for you in the app
third key point
The 4-day week is not the gig economy
fourth key point
Get your organization started with the 4-day week policy
fifth key point
The 4-day week is for the greater good
sixth key point
Don't miss out on the opportunity to make lives better
seventh key point
Conclusion
What is The 4 Day Week about?
Who should read The 4 Day Week
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