The last few years have given us a lot to reflect upon, to say the least. We’ve had time to think about what matters most to us not only as workers, but as human beings. For many of us, we realized that working in-office, five days a week from 9-5 just isn’t cutting it anymore.
So here at TGW Studio, we decided to switch to a permanent 4-day workweek. What started as a way to give our team some much-needed time to decompress back in April of 2020 became one of the best moves we’ve made for our business yet. We even had the honor to speak with Time Magazine about what a success it’s been.
We could wax poetic for days about how the 4-day work week has improved the mental health, morale, and overall wellbeing of our team (and we have), but, it’s also one of the best business moves we’ve ever made. Here are 4 of our key takeaways:
1. We've got more creative juice.
As a creative studio, creativity is an absolute necessity. Anyone in a creative field can tell you that sitting in an office five days a week can be a real inspiration killer. With an extra day to refresh, recalibrate, and reapproach our work, we’re coming up with some of our most imaginative, impactful, and high-quality work yet (you can check some of it out here).
2. We're less distracted.
One of the more obvious benefits of a 4-day workweek is a three-day weekend. With more time to take care of personal tasks like grocery shopping, cleaning, doctors’ appointments, and other errands on the weekend—there are fewer distractions and interruptions to our weekday workflow.
3. We're as productive as ever.
If numbers are your thing, here’s some interesting news: according to recent studies, most people are only truly productive for about 25 hours per week. By switching to the 4-day work week, we haven’t seen a decrease in the amount of actual work we’re producing. With an extra day to rest, our workdays are more productive than ever.
4. We're growing. Fast.
It’s no secret that a 4-day workweek is a pretty sweet benefit. Since making the switch, TGW Studio is growing faster than ever (in fact, we’re hiring for several new positions this year). Plus, happy folks with a healthy work-life balance tend to stick around and believe in our mission. Unlike a lot of other agencies experiencing the effects of the Great Resignation, our team is committed to staying with us for the long-haul. The fact of the matter is, burnt-out employees = high turnover rate.
Here's the thing:
Having the ability to keep the lights on while working 4 days a week is a huge privilege—there’s no doubt about that. We understand that younger businesses face challenges that can make this switch impossible. But if you can, we encourage you to rethink “the grind” and join us in radically rethinking your workplace.
Interested in bringing the 4-day workweek to your organization? Check out TGW’s guide to implementing the 4-day workweek:
