6 Flexible Alternatives to The 5-Day Week

Flexible working patterns

If you’re reading this, chances are you work a 9-to-5, five-day-a-week job. Perhaps you have a little flexibility, starting and finishing an hour early. This work schedule is so synonymous with modern employment that it’s near impossible to disentangle the two. Dolly Parton even wrote a song about it.

But working 9-to-5 isn’t the only way to make a living. Humans have a tendency to stick to what we know, but that means we could be missing out on experiencing different ways of working. Flexi-hours, 4pm finish days, compressed days or even additional time off are all alternatives to traditional working hours. Depending on the organization, those alternatives may be better suited to us and bring about benefits like improved work-life balance, lower stress levels, and higher productivity.

Henry Ford was one of the first to introduce a five-day, 40-hour week, reducing the days his employees worked from six to five way back in 1922. Today, we still stick to this schedule, despite the huge productivity gains created by technology in the last century. In fact, large swathes of the workforce work longer hours than they’re compensated for, and many have the shared experience of filling empty time at their desks long after they’d finished their responsibilities for the day. This is often all for the sake of making a good impression, which is why, in the US, 80-hour workweeks are more than normal.

However, flexible working has proved to be high up the list of desirable features for employees young and old. There are different approaches being trialed in companies around the world, here's how they work.

1. Four-day work week

How it works

The concept of the four-day workweek has garnered a lot of coverage in the press and on social media in recent years. Businesses worldwide have been trialing the four-day workweek in one form or another, with trials in Iceland deemed a huge success. In the US, 83% of workers want a four-day workweek.

The four-day workweek is simple. You work Monday through Thursday and have Friday off, creating a three-day weekend. The original idea was to move from a 40-hour workweek to a 32-hour week, with no changes to benefits or pay. However, some businesses that adopt this model choose to compress hours by increasing the hours worked Monday through Thursday. The business benefits of the latter route are clear, but reducing hours worked without making changes to pay can have benefits for improving employee morale (and productivity) .

While it may seem counterproductive to allow employees to work fewer hours, evidence suggests otherwise. Buffer, a social media company that has adopted the four-day workweek, done away with its office, and adjusted salaries against the cost of living, says 91% of its employees are happier and more productive.

Benefits and challenges

Benefits:

• Up to an additional 52 days off each year
• More time for employees to focus on themselves, their health, and their family, prioritizing a healthy work-life balance
• 78% of workers with four-day weeks are happier and less stressed

Challenges:

• Hesitation to reduce hours without reducing pay and benefits
• With the wrong mindset, outputs could be prioritized, not employee wellbeing
• Re-working systems to accommodate closing for a day or discussing changes to ways of working with clients and third-parties

2. Nine-day fortnight

How it works

When working within a nine-day fortnight, or 9DF, you work the same number of hours as usual in the fortnight, but these condensed hours fit into nine days rather than ten. The system is very similar to the four-day workweek, but you get every second Friday off.

For example, if you work a typical 40-hour week, that works out to eight hours a day when working Monday to Friday. With 9DF, your working hours increase by less than sixty minutes each day when spread over nine days. And you still get up to an extra twenty-six days off a year. Win-win!

Benefits and challenges

Benefits:

• Businesses can split their teams into two, with each taking alternating Fridays off. Everyone benefits from the change in work schedule, but the business doesn’t have to shut its doors one day a week
• The freedom and mental health benefits equal happier employees with higher levels of morale
• Happier and more motivated employees equal increased productivity on working days
• Everyone keeps the same salary and benefits

Challenges:

• Fewer days off each year than with a four-day workweek
• Any change to typical schedules can be a challenge to navigate with clients
• The compressed hours can be tiring
• Will not be suitable for all job types or all industries 

3. Unlimited annual leave

How it works

One benefit that has been increasing in popularity over the last few years is the offer of unlimited annual leave. Popular amongst start-ups and small businesses, the idea is simple; employees can take off as much time as they want for vacations.

This, of course, is a huge departure from the paid time off packages offered by many businesses in the US, which can range from no time off to three weeks. 

Benefits and challenges

Benefits:

• More annual leave protects workers from burnout. WHO released a study stating that anxiety and depression, often caused by stress linked to work, cost the global workforce around $1 trillion each year in lost productivity
• Can help attract the best talent and younger job-seekers, who are increasingly seeking out more flexible working
• Offers employees flexibility without necessarily decreasing hours worked

Challenges:

• Employees can technically take endless time off, leaving their colleagues to pick up the slack
• With no guidelines on what time employees should take off, unlimited annual leave could encourage a culture of presenteeism

4. Five-hour workday

How it works:

How much of an eight-hour work day is actually spent working? In the office, there are watercooler chats, bathroom breaks and countless trips to the kitchen for coffee. At home, there are loads of laundry, non-stop Zoom meetings, and countless trips to the kitchen for coffee.

While we all need to take breaks, it poses the question: what if we did fewer ‘work’ hours each day but maximized our productivity during those hours? That’s what the five-hour workday is all about.

In this system, employees work five days a week but only five hours a day, rather than the standard eight. The catch is that you really need to hunker down and focus during that time. The benefit is that you get three hours back to spend as you please.

Benefits and challenges

Benefits:

• Workers are better rested and have more time for their personal lives
• Employees have the option to work at times that best suit them, helping flex around childcare and other personal needs
• Implementing core hours (e.g. 11am to 1pm) can help ensure teams still have overlap to facilitate collaboration, if staggered hours are allowed
• Workers are motivated to work harder during their five hours

Challenges:

• Restrictions must be put in place, such as fewer breaks, to guarantee productivity is maintained
• Distractions, such as phones and chit-chat, must be discouraged
• A challenge to reduce hours without pay, if high levels of productivity aren’t maintained

5. Hours per year

How it works

This system sees contracts with workers penned not based on how many hours they need to work each week, but each year.

If an employee is contracted to work 1,600 hours a year, it is up to them to plan their time according to their schedule and the demands of their role.

This can be especially helpful for employees who have children or family to care for, are pursuing qualifications outside of work, want to spend more time on hobbies, or work better when allowed greater flexibility.

Benefits and challenges

Benefits:

• Fantastic amount of flexibility
• True balance between work and life
• Easier for employees to secure time off when needed
• No changes to compensation are required as the total hours worked will remain the same

Challenges:

• Scheduling and keeping track of when employees will and won’t be available or contactable is difficult
• Need systems in place to ensure all business functions are covered
• Only possible for certain job functions and industries

6. Set responsibilities, not hours

How it works

The responsibilities, not hours model is one of the most interesting takes on flexible working patterns. Here, employees work until their to-do list is complete for the day, not until their boss says they can go home.

This system connects compensation to value rather than time worked, a system favored by many freelancers and small business owners. That means no more hanging around at your desk just to stay in the office longer than your boss!

Benefits and challenges

Benefits:

• Disconnects time worked from compensation, prioritizing value
• Faster or more efficient workers can benefit from more time off
• Less time wasted on procrastination or ‘looking busy’
• Employees can work at the times they are most productive
• Encourages employers to clearly define their expectations

Challenges:

• Could result in employees working overtime if their workload isn’t effectively managed or if there is an imbalance between roles
• Accountability becomes increasingly important
• If responsibilities aren’t well defined, the system doesn’t work

Make the most of your workday with Forecast

Whether you opt to work a 9DF, a five-hour day, or stick with the classic 9-to-5, productivity and employee well-being should always be prioritized.

Forecast’s work management features can help you keep on top of your team’s workloads, increasing transparency and giving you the information to help them better manage their time. In Forecast, you can review hours worked, utilization rates, and outstanding tasks, all of which work together to make it easy to measure productivity. That means you can help your team do the best work possible, no matter their schedule.

Try Forecast out for yourself by signing up for a free trial below.