{"id":21704,"date":"2025-07-28T16:52:58","date_gmt":"2025-07-28T15:52:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.taipawb.org\/?post_type=blog&p=21704"},"modified":"2025-07-28T16:52:58","modified_gmt":"2025-07-28T15:52:58","slug":"more-life-same-impact-our-4-day-week-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.taipawb.org\/cy\/news\/2025\/more-life-same-impact-our-4-day-week-journey\/","title":{"rendered":"More Life, Same Impact: Our 4 Day Week Journey"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Headshot<\/div>\n

If you\u2019d told me two years ago that we\u2019d be operating a four-day working week at Tai Pawb\u2014without cutting pay, compressing hours, or losing productivity\u2014I\u2019d have probably smiled politely and gone back to my to-do list. In fact I did. Then I had a brilliant chat with Michelle Reid, CEO of Merthyr Valley Homes, who patiently answered my thousand questions and gave me the nudge I needed to give it a go!<\/p>\n

Here we are, over a year into our 4 Day Week journey, and I honestly can\u2019t imagine going back (well, I can and do, at times, but bear with me).<\/p>\n

So I wanted to share a bit more about how we got here, how it\u2019s been going, what we\u2019ve learned\u2014and what\u2019s next.<\/p>\n

Why we did it<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with the \u201cwhy.\u201d Like a lot of people, I came across the growing research showing that a shorter working week could lead to the same or even better performance\u2014and big wellbeing wins for staff. I read a Andrew Barnes\u2019 book: The Four Day Week (he\u2019s a guy that founded Perpetual Guardian, New Zealand-based trust and estate planning firm that ran one of the first large-scale 4 Day Week trials). 4 Day Week sounded great in theory, but we wanted to know if it would really work here<\/em>\u2014for our team, our members, and the unique pressures and rhythms of our work across housing and equality.<\/p>\n

We decided to give it a go, on a trial basis, starting April 2024. The key principles were simple but firm: no one would lose pay, we wouldn\u2019t compress hours (we work to outcomes, not clock-watching), and we\u2019d co-design the approach together as a team. Most importantly, we agreed from the start that the trial would only become permanent if it worked for everyone<\/em>\u2014staff, members, stakeholders, and the wider organisation.<\/p>\n

Getting ready<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m not going to pretend we just flicked a switch and went from five days to four. The run-up to the pilot involved quite a bit of prep.<\/p>\n

We looked at the global research and evaluation models (like this one).<\/a> <\/strong><\/span>We ran pre-trial staff surveys to set a baseline on things like productivity, stress levels, and work-life balance amongst others. We spoke to other organisations doing it: like Waterwise (huge thanks are in order to Nicci Russel who was fantastically supportive and shared so much), Brook and CAB Gateshead.<\/p>\n

We built a monitoring framework that would track everything from project delivery and member engagement to wellbeing and recruitment.<\/p>\n

Most importantly, we involved the whole team from the very start. We held engagement sessions and made the 4 Day Week a regular agenda item in team meetings and one-to-ones. Everyone helped shape it. That co-design approach made a huge difference \u2013 it was important that this wasn\u2019t something being \u201cdone to\u201d the team; it was being built by us all.<\/p>\n

Living our values<\/strong><\/p>\n

From the very beginning, we knew this wasn\u2019t just about wellbeing or productivity. For us, the 4 Day Week was closely linked to our values and, in many ways, practicing what we preach.<\/p>\n

The answer, it turned out, was quite a powerful one.<\/p>\n

We saw parents and carers using the extra time to better balance their responsibilities. We heard stories of colleagues supporting loved ones through illness or mental health struggles – something they would have found very difficult with a five-day schedule. We saw colleagues rediscover hobbies, take care of their health, and re-engage with their communities.<\/p>\n

So\u2026 what happened?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I could write multiple pages on the impact, but let me try and summarise.<\/p>\n

First, the headline: it worked.<\/p>\n

Our performance hasn\u2019t just held up\u2014it\u2019s improved in many areas. Our training numbers, policy outputs, income generation and member engagement all saw positive growth. Website traffic grew, our events were better attended and well-rated, and satisfaction among members and stakeholders remained high.<\/p>\n

Because of the mainly non-urgent nature of our work and small team size (there were 10 of us when we started) – we decided to trial having the same day off for everyone and monitor whether it worked and whether things fell through the cracks on those Fridays. The short answer is not really. There were a few contacts, none of them urgent. We didn\u2019t miss any critical meetings. And we\u2019ve stayed accessible – responding quickly on Mondays and managing expectations well.<\/p>\n

Recruitment has been another big win. Roles that previously attracted a handful of applicants now bring in dozens – and people are telling us straight up that the 4 Day Week is a big part of why they want to work here.<\/p>\n

The impact on wellbeing has also genuinely been one of the most rewarding aspects of the trial. Colleagues have told us they felt more present in their lives – able to spend meaningful time with family, engage in hobbies, or simply enjoy some breathing space (and wow do we need it!). Others have used the additional time to support loved ones through challenging periods, or finally get around to long-postponed personal goals like reading or creative pursuits.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve seen improvements in mental health, reduced fatigue, better sleep, and more energy. Life satisfaction scores went up.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s talk about the challenges<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s worth acknowledging that 4 Day Week isn\u2019t a one-size-fits-all solution \u2013 the more we read and the more organisations we spoke to (we did a webinar on our experience \u2013 members, if you are interested we can share the recording) – \u00a0the more we realised that it can work very differently depending on the nature, size and remit of organisations.<\/p>\n

Neither is it a \u201cset it and forget it\u201d situation – and we\u2019ve definitely had to adapt, train and maintain our efficiency, productivity and new ways of working (and these are still evolving). Our session with Debbie Bailey, now new joint CEO of 4 Day Global, really helped us realise how important the \u2018maintenance\u2019 bit is.<\/p>\n

One of the biggest shifts during our 4 Day Week pilot was how we approached productivity. We didn\u2019t just hope to get more done in less time – we actively changed how we worked (well, this is an ongoing process as old habits really die hard!). Some of the things we did included cutting down meeting times, being more mindful of their purpose and prep needed, encouraging things like Diary Detox tools or blocking out focus time. Everyone has been encouraged to try out different tools like the Pomodoro technique, Eat 4 Frogs, or even just reflecting for a minute at the end of the day. I think it really made us acknowledge the time needed for deep focus, better planning, and\u2026 less faff.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re a small team, and inevitably, there will be times when we will need to work more (as is sometimes the case with 5 Day Week). We have been a bit short-staffed and have definitely needed to step up but on the acknowledgement that it\u2019s temporary. Some of us have worked extra hours or picked up additional responsibilities – especially during peak periods. But this was always part of the deal: flexibility goes both ways, and the team understands that. That spirit of mutual trust and accountability has been crucial.<\/p>\n

We also saw an increase in work intensity at certain times. People mentioned tighter deadlines and feeling busier, especially in the second half of the year. We\u2019re taking that seriously and continuing to check in regularly. It\u2019s something we\u2019ll keep working on together.<\/p>\n

In a recent chat with a stakeholder, they said something that really stuck with me: people tend to either rave about the 4 Day Week or dismiss it entirely. It\u2019s either a miracle cure or a non-starter. But our experience – and the experience of many others – has been somewhere else entirely. Yes, we\u2019re huge fans of the model. Yes, it\u2019s transformed our organisation. But we\u2019re not naive about it. We\u2019re excited because<\/em> we\u2019ve seen it work, not<\/em> because we think it\u2019s effortless or always perfect \u2013 it\u2019s totally understandable that it may take more effort and challenge in larger organisations and in different sectors.<\/p>\n

Making it permanent<\/strong><\/p>\n

After a year of testing, listening, and learning, the decision was put to our board\u2014and we\u2019re delighted to say they approved the 4 Day Week as a permanent way of working at Tai Pawb.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re not treating it as a finished project, though. The world changes, workloads shift, and we know we\u2019ll need to keep checking in and tweaking as we go. We\u2019ve built in regular monitoring, light-touch six-month reviews, and annual deep dives. We\u2019re also joining peer networks to keep learning from others and investing in \u2018maintenance\u2019 training to keep the benefits going long term.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just about time off – it\u2019s about working smarter, looking after each other, and building a culture that supports inclusion, creativity, and sustainability.<\/p>\n

A final thought<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re curious about trying something similar in your organisation, I\u2019d say: talk to your team and talk to those that have tried or introduced it. Just like others who very kindly shared their experiences, approaches and documents with me, I have been sharing our frameworks with others.<\/p>\n

And if you want to know what I\u2019m doing most Fridays now (apart from a bit more DIY), I let myself rest, see friends for lunch, do \u2018life admin\u2019 and (at times) clean (I have no excuses now!).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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