Many businesses that moved to remote work in response to the COVID-19 pandemic were surprised to find in the first month that the shift was less painful than expected. Companies have long treated work outside the office—whether remote, with flexible hours, or occasional work from home—with suspicion. Nothing could replace the creative ideas sparked by random encounters, or better demonstrate an employee’s loyalty and passion, than showing up and staying late.
Now, several months into quarantine, some companies are discovering that going remote has also made another change possible. They’re moving to 4-day weeks, without losing productivity or hurting their sales.
In the U.S., these companies include social media app Buffer and social impact accelerator Uncharted, as well as local governments in Colorado and West Virginia. Donegal, Ireland-based online publishing platform developer 3D Issue; English magazine publisher and events organizer Target Publishing; and Bogota-based virtual voice agency Bunny Studios, have all recently started trialing 4-day weeks. They join hundreds of companies around the world that in recent years have permanently shortened their working hours without cutting salaries or productivity.
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