Research showed that a 4-day week can actually improve productivity for organisations. It’s been shown to reduce stress, improve staff wellbeing and improve recruitment and retention. We were keen to put the theory to the test, so we became one of the first 30 UK organisations to participate in the 4 Day Week pilot. 

As IE’s Managing Director Ollie Leggett explained, “The promise of a more efficient business that continues to deliver value for our clients, while improving the work-life balance for our team, sounded like the stuff of dreams."

Test and learn

Throughout the trial, the brilliant IE team were among more than 1,700 employees who benefitted from a day off every week with no drop in salary. 

Joining the pilot gave IE access to support from the experts at 4 Day Week Global, along with partners at leading think tank Autonomy, and researchers at Cambridge University, Boston College and Oxford University. This training and mentoring support from international experts only enhanced our chances of success.

Alongside a wide range of pilot businesses in the UK, US and Ireland, we gathered and shared our findings. This supported 4 Day Week Global and their partners to build the template for implementing a 4-day working week. This helped many more businesses to trial these methodologies, and reap the benefits. 

Andrew Barnes, founder and architect of 4 Day Week Global, said, “This next cohort of businesses trialling the model in the UK is laying the foundation for the future of work.”

Making sure

We approached the trial with commitment and an open mind. We began with a 6-month trial period, later choosing to extend our pilot to 12 months. This allowed us to evaluate the impact fully, over a year of seasonal fluctuations. 

Throughout the trial we remained focused on our values-driven client's needs, 5 days per week. We were determined to prove that the programme could improve the wellbeing and engagement of everyone in the team, without sacrificing productivity or service.

Sophie Kish, Client Relationship Manager, said, “IE supports and cares for its staff and we always want the best outcome for our clients. The variety of projects is vast, which keeps it interesting and – even with the 4-day week – it's still as fast paced as ever.”

Our team rose to the challenge, adapting to new ways of working to improve their productivity 4 days a week, and then reaping the reward of a better work-life balance. 

No going back

Happily, after 12 months we were all convinced that 4-day working was the future for IE. 

We adopted our new routine across the board. Everyone works 3 core days from Tuesday to Thursday, with at least 1 day together in the studio. Then some of the team work Mondays and others work Fridays, to ensure clients can reach us when they need us. 

As our Head of Digital, Nathan explained, “I now get to spend more time watching my son grow up. I save around 15.5 hours a week on the commute and 4-day working. This has made a massive difference to my work / life balance and the quality time I get with my son is something I will always be grateful to IE for.”

4 Day Week Global is driving the biggest change in work since the shift to a five-day week a century ago, and IE is delighted to be a part of it. 

Find out more about the 4-day week at www.4dayweek.com.