7 ms·

Curious among folks here: Are you aware of companies that allow for or even encourage four day work weeks?

by robg 3y ago

otabdeveloper4 3y ago
Yes, these are the kinds of companies with 12 hour work days. Staffed by immigrants or poor people, usually.
- anjel 3y ago
  ...And Registered Nurses
jes5199 3y ago
I’m on a mailing list from fourdayweek.io and they managed to find a few companies to feature every week. No one that I’ve been excited to work for, yet, but YMMV
rowyourboat 3y ago
Yes, we let anybody reduce their work week to 80% - for 80% pay, of course.
- antisthenes 3y ago
  That's not really a perk then. The whole idea is to generate ~95% of value with 80% of the work time, and to split the difference money-wise.
  - rowyourboat 3y ago
    You would be surprised how many companies don't allow you to work part time, period.
- philmcp 3y ago
  Founder of 4dayweek.io here, would love to add your company to the site? If so, which company is it?
Syonyk 3y ago
Overtly advertising it? No. Hasn't stopped me (and quite a few others) from getting 4 day weeks out of them. The trick is being senior enough (or in demand enough) that you can get one company to agree to a 32h week for you (and be willing to walk - I've interviewed with very interesting companies who weren't willing to consider it, and so we ended the discussions). Once you have it in some form or another, you're good. It's just a condition of employing you, early in discussions with other companies.
- ryandrake 3y ago
  I'd love to learn the secret incantation from "senior enough" employees who have managed to negotiate these kinds of things. I've been at it for 25+ years and only managed to negotiate pay (never large increases, and not from many companies). When it comes to your terms of employment like hours, vacation, benefits, sick time, and so on, it's always "The boilerplate employment agreement is written by god and cannot be changed by mortals. Sign it unmodified or GTFO!"
  - quasse 3y ago
    At least in my experience, it really helps to have one senior person lead the way. Our company hired a greybeard with a rock solid condition of his employment being a four day work week. After that, it was much easier for "normal" employees to switch to it since management was familiar with the idea and saw that he was a very productive employee. I switched to four day work weeks when I was 29 (based on his example) and have been very happy with it.
  - Syonyk 3y ago
    > Sign it unmodified or GTFO! That's the secret. Being willing to GTFO if they don't meet your terms. And being good enough at what you do that they're willing to meet your terms. My current employer, on initial contact, wasn't willing to consider fully remote and 32h/wk. Then a year later, they came back and were willing to talk because they'd been trying to find someone with my skillset locally.
capital_guy 3y ago
bit.io was a 4 day work week company before being acquired by databricks [0]. not sure if they kept that afterwards, seems unlikely https://www.databricks.com/blog/welcoming-bit-io-databricks-investing-developer-experience https://www.databricks.com/blog/welcoming-bit-io-databricks-...
- adam_gyroscope 3y ago
  (bit.io CEO here) - databricks has a 5 day work week.
  - robg 3y ago
    Would love to discuss how it worked for you
michaelt 3y ago
I've heard of small/medium software companies doing it. Apparently it's a lot easier to arrange in smaller companies, and the economics for the business can be great if they're the only ones in the area offering it. For example, if a divorced guy gets his kid on Friday and Saturday every week, it turns out getting every Friday off is a super-valuable benefit for him, and now you can hire a $120k programmer for $70k.
darreninthenet 3y ago
My previous employer (in the UK) where I worked for 11 years happily let me work compressed hours (ie 35 hours in four days) and had every Friday off, with occasionally working a Friday by agreement if it was absolutely necessary, and I'd usually take the following Monday off in lieu. Only left them due to compulsory redundancy due to cost cutting.
vlabakje90 3y ago
In the Netherlands this is completely normal for most types of jobs, 48% of the workforce works less than 36 hours. Are you looking for anything specific?

Curious among folks here: Are you aware of companies that allow for or even encourage four day work weeks?

by robg 3y ago

Curious among folks here: Are you aware of companies that allow for or even encourage four day work weeks?

otabdeveloper4 3y ago

Yes, these are the kinds of companies with 12 hour work days. Staffed by immigrants or poor people, usually.

anjel 3y ago
...And Registered Nurses

jes5199 3y ago

I’m on a mailing list from fourdayweek.io and they managed to find a few companies to feature every week. No one that I’ve been excited to work for, yet, but YMMV

rowyourboat 3y ago

Yes, we let anybody reduce their work week to 80% - for 80% pay, of course.

antisthenes 3y ago
That's not really a perk then. The whole idea is to generate ~95% of value with 80% of the work time, and to split the difference money-wise.
- rowyourboat 3y ago
  You would be surprised how many companies don't allow you to work part time, period.
philmcp 3y ago
Founder of 4dayweek.io here, would love to add your company to the site? If so, which company is it?

Syonyk 3y ago

Overtly advertising it? No. Hasn't stopped me (and quite a few others) from getting 4 day weeks out of them. The trick is being senior enough (or in demand enough) that you can get one company to agree to a 32h week for you (and be willing to walk - I've interviewed with very interesting companies who weren't willing to consider it, and so we ended the discussions). Once you have it in some form or another, you're good. It's just a condition of employing you, early in discussions with other companies.

ryandrake 3y ago
I'd love to learn the secret incantation from "senior enough" employees who have managed to negotiate these kinds of things. I've been at it for 25+ years and only managed to negotiate pay (never large increases, and not from many companies). When it comes to your terms of employment like hours, vacation, benefits, sick time, and so on, it's always "The boilerplate employment agreement is written by god and cannot be changed by mortals. Sign it unmodified or GTFO!"
- quasse 3y ago
  At least in my experience, it really helps to have one senior person lead the way. Our company hired a greybeard with a rock solid condition of his employment being a four day work week. After that, it was much easier for "normal" employees to switch to it since management was familiar with the idea and saw that he was a very productive employee. I switched to four day work weeks when I was 29 (based on his example) and have been very happy with it.
- Syonyk 3y ago
  > Sign it unmodified or GTFO! That's the secret. Being willing to GTFO if they don't meet your terms. And being good enough at what you do that they're willing to meet your terms. My current employer, on initial contact, wasn't willing to consider fully remote and 32h/wk. Then a year later, they came back and were willing to talk because they'd been trying to find someone with my skillset locally.

capital_guy 3y ago

bit.io was a 4 day work week company before being acquired by databricks [0]. not sure if they kept that afterwards, seems unlikely https://www.databricks.com/blog/welcoming-bit-io-databricks-investing-developer-experience https://www.databricks.com/blog/welcoming-bit-io-databricks-...

adam_gyroscope 3y ago
(bit.io CEO here) - databricks has a 5 day work week.
- robg 3y ago
  Would love to discuss how it worked for you

michaelt 3y ago

I've heard of small/medium software companies doing it. Apparently it's a lot easier to arrange in smaller companies, and the economics for the business can be great if they're the only ones in the area offering it. For example, if a divorced guy gets his kid on Friday and Saturday every week, it turns out getting every Friday off is a super-valuable benefit for him, and now you can hire a $120k programmer for $70k.

darreninthenet 3y ago

My previous employer (in the UK) where I worked for 11 years happily let me work compressed hours (ie 35 hours in four days) and had every Friday off, with occasionally working a Friday by agreement if it was absolutely necessary, and I'd usually take the following Monday off in lieu. Only left them due to compulsory redundancy due to cost cutting.

vlabakje90 3y ago

In the Netherlands this is completely normal for most types of jobs, 48% of the workforce works less than 36 hours. Are you looking for anything specific?