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Last week we explored how an increase in communication can enhance any organization’s culture. Our exploration continues this week with me first touting one of the most appreciated perks at Slingshot SEO, something that adds quite a bit to our daily culture–our four-day work week! Yes, an exclamation mark because virtually every employee adds such emphasis anytime we discuss it. 
Why does a four-day work week make such a difference in our culture?
- Every team member gets a full day devoted to research, which means staying abreast of a rapidly changing industry.
- The other four days are 10 plus hours of action packed daily activities; there is never a dull moment.
- Thursday nights after work become a time to gather, relax and often enjoy each other’s company.
- It attracts top-notch, young employee talent like a powerful magnet.
- During research time on Friday’s you can actually be available to meet household repairmen, plan three-day getaways, volunteer at a non-profit or just spend time with family.
- Daily productivity improves.
How do I enhance this aspect of our culture? By fully embracing it and protecting it!
The next facet of our culture is just starting to hit its stride. We have a “culture” committee whose sole job revolves around planning events and activities that add to our culture. I recently sat in on one of the committee’s lunchtime meeting; the ideas were flying furiously back and forth.
It didn’t take me long to jump in and make several suggestions. Events were a bit of my specialty at previous companies. I loved being an active part of every event- ranging from a Fourth of July week watermelon seed spitting contest and an online “Family Feud” game show between departments to charity volunteer days, card tournaments and, my favorite—dodgeball!
Those ideas will be rolling out over the next several months. Hopefully, they can build upon past events which provided fun and a chance for the team to mingle in so many different manners.
My first activity to add may be the simplest idea of all. It builds upon the communications theme of my last post. Based on the results of the first few occurrences of it, I am hopeful it can continue indefinitely. I refer to it as the CEO roundtable.
The concept is simple. I personally invite anyone on the staff to join me for lunch in groups of four or five on selected Wednesdays where anything and everything can be discussed. No two people are from the same department, so we avoid current issues in any one department and truly get to know each other. In other words, like the legendary Knights of the Round Table in medieval times, everyone is equal and is there to learn from and help each other.
At these round–table discussions, I always ask if they have any questions about me, the company or what the future will bring. The answers are, more times than not, well thought out and very thought provoking. I often see the faces of future leaders around the table. Hopefully, a tidbit or two from me or one of the others attending will aid in their future ascent!
My favorite part of the conversation is when I ask them for ideas and suggestions on how to improve our company and our culture. The ideas are often well thought out and some of them have proven useful. One of those great and useful ideas came out when we were discussing the concept of OTM or outstanding team member, a concept I discussed in my previous post. A team member related how another tech company made a similar award each month, but, went a step further by using a children’s book about a certain animal and its tenacity. Each monthly winner picked a page in the book and wrote what the award and the company meant to them. As you might guess, the book becomes quite a treasure.
I would like to announce that we will blatantly replicate that wonderful tradition immediately. Since our animal mascot is a small stuffed Slingshot monkey that screams a bit when launched, we will turn to none other than Curious George in the story to the right to start the tradition at Slingshot SEO…
I cannot wait to see the thoughts and stories shared by our OTM’s! The brand new shiny copy of the book is already in the hands of Jesse Luke and Abbe Yale, last month’s winners, awaiting their comments. Perhaps the Smithsonian will be asking for it 10 years from now…
Jay Love
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Companies who proactively invest in the younger generation will have the upper hand when it comes to recruiting and keeping talent. A great marketing plan or product is only a piece of the puzzle. Empower employees to love your brand and reap the rewards of creating advocates within the community/industry.
I dont understand the 5th day of a 4 day work week. I get the theme but I dont get the measurement of that theme. What might a metric look like for the 5th day? Is the 5th day a telecommute day? Wouldn’t doing anything on the fifth day make it a 5 day week? Can one conclude that devoting “a full day to research” after working 4 10 hour days ends up being a 48 hour week? I agree that a 4 day work week is attractive but not if it’s really 5 days and 48 instead of 40 hours.
I am a Career Advisor at a fashion College in San Francisco, CA. I work a 4 day work week. It works well for me and my employer. Why? I am more productive, I am on campus later that my coworkers; any student that is on campus in the evening can utilize my services, my long commute is is 4 times per week vs 5 times per week; saves me time and money, I have a free day during the week for appointments: doctor, dentist, home repairs, car repairs. A day off during the week for appointments is good for the employer too; no spending time during work hours for appointments. I feel I am healthier and happier; I know my family appreciates this!
It’s not clear to me whether this policy means people have Friday completely off, or they have to come in to the office, but can work on their own projects a la Google?
Hi Jay,
I “+1 ed” your blog on Google + and was trying to share it via Linkedin however the linkedin share feature doesn’t seem to work.
Great idea though!
ZiChuan
4 days 10 hour work days plus 1 research day sounds like 5 days a week to me. Does research not count as work? It counts as work at my company.
That’s what it looks like to me, too. A 48-hour week; it’s just that one of those days is at home.
40 + 8 hours, to me sounds like a 6 days a week.
While the premise sounds good, it does seem to promote MORE working hours, rather than less. Employees are doing 40 hours of regular work pr. Week and one full extra day for research. While the extra day can be used also for non-work related things, I think it very likely that there would be an implicit peer-pressure to also work, or at least “research” during friday. In this case it starts to appear more like a clever way to get more hours out of your workers, rather than having an innovative “less-work” philosophy.
I’d have cheered with both arms high, if the 4 ordinary days, were standard 7.5-8 hours of work. With 10 hours every day plus a research day though, it seems quite like an attempt to having your cake and eating it too.
I do a 4-day work week too (10 hours + 1 hour lunch in between = 11 hours at work) and I get really exhausted by my 4th day. And I actually work nights. I feel sick and cranky and nasty because I’m already so tired. However, having 3 nights off each week makes me feel like I’m on vacation every week so it makes up for it. I’m able to do more things. It’s awesome.
It would be interesting if Jay or someone at Slingshot SEO replied to the other four comments regarding this policy and the fact that it seems to make employees work *more* hours a week (10 hours/day plus a “full research day”) than a regular job. I, too, feel this is a little odd.
point 5 is rather clear on this:
“5. During research time on Friday’s you can actually be available to meet household repairmen, plan three-day getaways, volunteer at a non-profit or just spend time with family.”
So it is up to you what you do. Sounds like a free day to me.
I doubt the people commenting about the working hours actually being longer are the kind of candidates that modern, tech companies / startups are after anyway. of course an employer isn’t just going to give you an extra day off every week. it’s about restructuring the traditional 9-5 job in a way that benefits both parties.
Friday research is something that you should be doing anyway to stay abreast of constantly changing trends and technologies – it’s awesome to have an entire day (or part thereof) to dedicate to it instead of trying to fit it in (and get distracted) between jobs or emails or whatever.
The ‘clever’ nay-sayers have merely highlighted how incompatible they would be working at exciting companies that are prepared do things differently. well done.
I think you’ve missed the point, you should be doing research during the week any way, wether part of the job or not, you need to be up on trends, changes in your market, new technology etc. Social shifts relating to your business sector etc. etc. Specifying this to just one day makes perfect sense as then it can be done properly in a way you control and in a setting far more comfortable than work!
Id love a four day working week
Sounds like a 50 hour work week to me.
I truly appreciate this article and what it suggest. I for one would be delighted to get a 4 day working week because this will allow me to purse my higher education like a 2nd masters or a PHD and maybe working toward some professional certifications.
I also loved the idea with the round table, when I run my small company I used similar concept where on a monthly basis we had a companywide meeting. we meet for dinner at a nice restaurant where I always asked my employees for their suggestions of improvement and their ideas proven to be fantastic and very profitable..
last. thanks for sharing and I hope more companies start working toward a better culture as it is a main reason for people joining or leaving a company.