Evolving Beyond the Four-Day Workweek: Our Journey Towards Autonomous Time Management

By Danielle Rocheleau

In 2020, in the beginnings of the pandemic, Laridae embarked on an ambitious journey: a trial of the four-day workweek.

The goal was simple yet transformative – to redefine the traditional workweek, aiming for enhanced efficiency and work-life balance. After a six-month trial, we officially adopted this structure in 2021, designating Fridays as a non-working day. However, as with any exploratory endeavour, our journey has been anything but linear.

Today, we want to share with you 1) how this experiment has evolved, and 2) what it means for future collaboration.

The initial premise: a four-day workweek

Initially, when we trialed the four-day workweek, we had two goals:

  1. Create a more focused, efficient working environment
  2. Improve work-life balance, alleviate some pressure, and enable staff to disconnect while working remotely

This wasn’t about cramming 40 hours of desk work into four days. Instead, it was about rethinking how we work, emphasizing productivity over time spent at a desk. We used the 100-80-100 rule as our aspirational benchmark: employees should receive 100% of their pay for 80% of their time, with the expectation was that they would still be able to achieve 100% of their regular output.

The idea was met with enthusiasm, especially as our team enjoyed the quiet Fridays for administrative tasks or much-needed downtime.

Adapting to seasonal demands and client needs

While this sounded good in theory, in practice, our work hours are more complex:

  • Working with volunteer boards at non-profit organizations poses unique challenges, which require occasional work in the evenings and weekends
  • Seasonal fluctuations, where some periods of the year are quieter, and some periods of the year have an exceptionally high volume of work

The reality is that the work we do with non-profits requires a degree of flexibility that a rigid 4-day structure can’t always accommodate.

Team feedback

We try to keep lines of communication and feedback as open as possible so that we can quickly identify any potential issues our team may be feeling and address them promptly.

Over time, what we heard was that the way that our team structured their workweek had been shifting. Many employees were working on Fridays, even though we were still nominally following a “Four-Day Workweek.” What did this mean? How should we adapt our policies?

Transitioning to a philosophy of trust and choice

When we dug further and listened to what our team was telling us, what we heard was that flexibility was more important than having Fridays fully off. It wasn’t just about having a three-day weekend. It was about autonomy, the freedom to choose how and when to work, and maintaining a focus on deliverables rather than hours logged.

So, the spirit of the original four-day workweek was there – a desire to work more efficiently while alleviating pressure – but the limitations of simply having “Fridays off” were working against us.

The current landscape: flexibility and autonomy

So we made another pivot, albeit a smaller one, and we adopted a “Hybrid Four-day Workweek” policy. This new policy retains much of the original intention of the four-day workweek, while loosening some of the guidelines.

What’s the same

  • Work hours: Our standard work hours still follow the four-day workweek: Monday to Thursday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
  • Internal communications with team: Outside of these work hours, our obligations to communicate are kept to a minimum: no internal meetings, no internal communications expectations (i.e. you don’t need to immediately reply to that email or Slack message)
  • External communications with clients: We are not expected to communicate with clients during Fridays unless an urgent matter comes up. If so, we will either call or send an SMS text – this enables the team to disconnect from email and Slack.
  • Productivity expectations: There is still an expectation to achieve the same outcomes that could be expected from approximately 40 hours worth of work per week

What’s different

Increased flexibility: We use the phrase “trust and choice”; our team is empowered to manage their desk work time autonomously.

  • Breaks: This could mean taking breaks, when necessary and when workloads permit, at any time during the week
  • Desk work: Conversely, it could mean taking care of your desk work early in the morning, late at night, or during the day on Friday

Sometimes Fridays are workdays, particularly during busy seasons, but it also means the freedom to take time off mid-week when workloads permit. We support our team with policies for Fridays that limit communication and meetings – offering it as a protected desk day if they choose to use it as such.

What This Means for Our Clients

This evolution is a promise of continued dedication and adaptability. It ensures that we are available when you need us most, even if that falls on a Friday or over the weekend. It means that our team is more energized, motivated, and creatively engaged when working on your projects.

Looking Ahead: A Commitment to Efficiency and Balance

As we move forward, we remain committed to the ethos of our 4-day workweek trial—seeking efficiency and balance. But we now understand that this looks different for each team member and each project. It’s less about counting days and more about making days count.

In embracing this evolved work philosophy, we’ve learned that flexibility, trust, and autonomy are not just buzzwords; they’re the pillars of a modern, responsive, people-first work environment. We’re excited to continue this journey, refining our approach to meet the needs of a dynamic, impactful non-profit sector. Your missions inspire us, and we’re here to support you, efficiently and flexibly, every step of the way.

Thank you for being part of our story.

Looking for help?

If you’re looking for help with maintaining or improving your organization’s work culture, efficiency, or employee well-being, we’re happy to chat. Feel free to contact us and get the conversation started.