Over the last nine months, the team at IFF tested, adapted and learned whilst trialling the 4-day week with a 100-80-100 model: 100% of the pay, for 80% of the time, whilst still continuing to meet 100% of our expected output.
We’d been considering the way we work for a while and recognised that expectations had been changing – with people seeking genuine flexibility and a greater balance in their lives.
We’d also been following accounts of how a focus on what’s produced rather than time spent helps boost productivity and wellbeing.
That provided us with a basis to explore the opportunity. We wanted to see how that approach would apply to an agency setting, and how it could help our business and our people to thrive.
Wider shifts across our industry and tech only strengthened that conviction. Social research projects have become more complex and cognitively demanding. At the same time, the development of AI and automation tools have reduced the burden of repetitive tasks. And, it’s always been our steadfast belief that the benefits of evolving or emerging tech need to be shared between the business and the team.
Through the trial itself, central to our approach was a collective sense of agency — we knew the model could only work if it was done with people, not to them. Everyone needed to think differently about how they plan, prioritise and collaborate. Our teams were trusted to shape how they work in ways that suit their projects and clients, whilst being backed by appropriate tools and processes.
What we saw through our regular pulse surveys and indicators was encouraging enough to continue. Average sick leave per person fell by 30% compared with the June to February period the previous year. Our people reported a better work-life balance, improved wellbeing and higher job satisfaction. All while we continued to deliver high-quality insight.
We’re excited to build on that momentum as we roll the model out beyond the trial, carrying forward the benefits our staff have been experiencing and reporting, including a stronger work-life balance, improved wellbeing and job satisfaction, while continuing to produce the high-quality research and evaluations our clients rely on.