Legate Injury Lawyers Implement 4-day work week

We implemented a 4-day work week in November. Here is my update.

After researching the benefits of a 4-day work week, and how to set one up, I met with my team and together developed a plan. We established performance goals, check-ins, and methods to ensure the office stayed open. We chose to give everyone Wednesday off, with the exception of a crew that rotated week by week. One hour per day was added to the four worked.
In addition, we offered remote work and flex time. Flex time is particularly important for parents who may not be able to work until 5 or 6, in particular during COVID school lock downs.

The results are very positive. We are not experiencing any downturn in productivity. Lawyers enjoy Wednesdays when they can do focused work. Importantly, staff are reporting time to keep life at home moving, and weekends are less hectic.

My team is great - their first concern was that they would not be able to get their work done. That hasn’t happened. What has happened is that the burst of energy we have on Monday and Tuesday, that starts to wane by week’s end is reignited with the day off in the middle.

My concerns were around the moms in my employ - how would they find flex time, and would they find themselves working late at night. They, happily, report the most benefits. Others find time to visit relatives, shop (Costco is unfortunately just as busy on Wednesday as it is on Saturday), exercise and relax.

We are still in the experimental stage. Everyone is invested in making it work, and so far so good. I will check back in a couple of months to report on my experience.

Finally, having worked in law for over 40 years, and knowing that it is an exhausting and demanding profession, in particular litigation, I had many doubts about whether this could work. I am glad to have taken the leap, and proud to put my staff’s wellbeing first.