Innovation management platform Edison365 has announced plans to introduce a four-day working week for its 30 employees at its UK and USA offices.
The business implemented a four-and-a-half-day week six months ago following a successful trial in 2020, where staff finished at 2pm on Fridays, and their work-life balance was found to have improved.
According to the organisation, a three-month pilot of a four-day, 32-hour working week will start on 1 January, with the change likely to be made permanent in April with no reduction in pay. Senior leadership expect that it will result in a “healthier, happier and more motivated team”.
Employees will be able to choose between Monday and Friday as their free day, but they can split it to have two half-days off if they prefer. All members of staff will work on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, which will remain core business days to maintain staffing levels continuity so customer service is unchanged.
CEO Ivan Lloyd explained that he thinks staff with appropriate balance in their lives, and are empowered to self-organise, will deliver more successful outcomes than those confined within a traditional regime.
“The goal for me, however, has always been to readdress the balance even further. This move to a four-day week and lowering working hours will deliver a creative environment and level of mental wellbeing which will enable our people to truly thrive; something which I believe will lead to increased innovation and greater value for our customers,” he said.
Jack Selman, head of operations and four-day programme implementation, added that protecting and improving the mental health and wellbeing of staff is of utmost importance at the organisation.
“The four-and-a-half-day week brought significant benefit to the whole team, and we believe these new changes will put edison365 in the driving seat when it comes to providing an environment to attract the very best talent and to deliver even more value to our customer base,” he said.