Work hard so you can play an extra day. Many companies are trading in the traditional 9 to 5, five-day work week so that their employees can enjoy the benefits of a four-day structure. At Bowe Digital, we’ve figured out the key elements of a successful four-day workweek, but we’re still mastering it. It's not a one size fits all approach and you have to refine it to fit your team and company, which is something we have done and continue to do as we grow. 

There are a few structures you can consider implementing:

The 32-Hour Work Week

This is the structure that Bowe Digital follows. After extensive research and a few celebratory drinks on our company’s fifth anniversary in June 2022, we announced that Bowe Digital was officially closed on Fridays. 

Since then, we’ve found that moving to a 32-hour work week spread across four days can maximize efficiency, foster focus and minimize stress. By reducing the standard 40-hour work week, employees have more time for personal pursuits, family (we’ve got lots of Bowe babies) and self-care. This model encourages people to be more mindful of their time, prioritize tasks accordingly and ensures that your team members are well-rested and rejuvenated, leading to higher productivity levels and happiness during their working hours. 

Four Ten Hour Days

Another structure to consider involves working four ten-hour days a week. This condensed schedule allows employees to enjoy three days off without compromising the standard 40-hour work week. When extending the daily work hours, employees need to reimagine time management – scheduling more tasks, and potentially breaks, throughout each day. Just like the 32-hour work week, the additional day off can be used for resting and relaxation or catching up on personal tasks and hobbies.

Fridays Off: Embracing Long Weekends

“Gotta get down on Friday,” Rebecca Black said it first, and while her 2011 hit was incredibly annoying yet catchy, she was definitely onto something. Granting Fridays off not only shortens the work week but also allows your team to enjoy a continuous, uninterrupted break. Hello, long weekend trips, full days of tidying the house and catching up on all the tasks we couldn’t get to before. Employees return on Monday recharged and ready to tackle the week ahead.

Flexible Days Off: Tailoring Work-Life Balance

Understanding that one size doesn’t fit all, you can also implement a flexible system where employees can choose which day they prefer to have off each week. This approach recognizes individual needs and responsibilities. Whether it’s a mid-week break for family commitments or a long weekend to unwind, this structure empowers employees to customize their schedules, promoting a healthier work-life balance tailored to their unique situations.

Combatting Customer Concerns

The four-day work week isn’t only a big change for you, but also for your customers. It’s important to communicate your new working hours and let them know when they can expect your response. Setting an OOO message on your day off helps. At Bowe Digital, if a customer has an urgent request, they are redirected to our Friday support email address, which our team takes turns monitoring. We’ve found that most customers will be respectful of varying operational hours.

Like remote work and custom stickers from Sticker Mule, some ideas just stick, and the four-day workweek is here to stay. If you have questions about our four-day workweek structure or marketing, contact Bradley Erb on our team at bradley@bowedigital.com. Learn more about our services at bowedigital.com.

Wayne recently shared a couple of tips for managers who want to make sure they are still effectively leading their teams in a new remote work world. His advice was great and full of things he already does for us here at Bowe Digital.

However, the rest of our team (Alyssa, Ashley, Brad, Casey, Chelsea Dorinda, Heather and Richard) wanted to make sure we shared some of the tricks we used to help us adjust to a work-from-home environment too. Whether this is a list you need in your life right now or you think it should be passed on to a friend or colleague, we're just glad to be in a position to help make the transition a bit easier for everyone involved!

The 11 WFH tips for you from our personal experience are:

• Create or stick to a morning routine to do before the workday starts to help maintain structure. 
• Don’t feel badly about taking short rests between tasks to decompress or focus on other things at home. Set a timer if you need a tangible reminder to take a break.  
• Use at least one of those breaks to get out of the house too. A properly social distanced walk around the block may do wonders to clear your head. 
• Experiment with what kind of setup works best for you. Some members of our team have a designated work area to help them stay focused and to better divide work tasks from the rest of the day, but others have found that changing “scenery” every few hours keeps them more engaged.   
• Carve out specific work time. We all get interrupted with calls and emails all day. Dedicate chunks of time to complete the things you must accomplish that day so you can leave feeling a sense of accomplishment for at least one task.
• On a related note, remember to devote some of the workday to "passive" work, such as checking non-ASAP emails, reading articles, making to-do lists, etc.
• Schedule play/walk time for your pets as well. It helps so they don’t interrupt you when you have a conference call or video meeting. (This can apply to little humans too.)
• Do some exercises at your desk or get up and walk around the house (and not always to the refrigerator). Remember, you weren’t always in your chair in the office, and you don’t need to be so now.
• Drink plenty of water and if the weather is nice outside, open the windows for some fresh air. 
• Take your lunch break and resist the temptation of working during it. Step away from your computer and enjoy the down time. Keep a hard stop for the end of the workday too. 
• Remember to have patience. Everyone including your boss, your colleagues, your spouse and your children are adapting to a new environment.

If you have other WFH tips our team should know about or share, send them Wayne's way at wayne@bowedigital.com!