For the past year, employees at the Canidé agency have been working one day less per week. With a Friday off, their workweek has reduced from 37.5 hours to 32 hours, with no reduction in salary or benefits. The agency is benefiting from this change, with all HR indicators on the rise.
What a journey it has been since an unusual headline from New Zealand in 2018, revealing that a local company offered its employees the option to work one day less for the same salary.
This triggered a cascade of pilot projects in both large companies (Microsoft Japan) and small businesses, including Canidé, which proudly marked one year of practice last November.
“We have always been attentive to trends surrounding employee well-being,” shared Rachel Desbiens-Després, founder and CEO of Canidé. “My belief is that an employee who feels good will be engaged, performant, and will give their best at work.”
Transparency
Internal results support this belief: one year after trimming a day from the workweek, turnover has decreased by 67%, absenteeism has dropped by 40%, while overall energy levels have increased by 6%, and creativity levels by 6%, according to the president.
Any change will have its honeymoon period but also moments of upheaval and doubt,” she warns. “However, if it’s truly the team’s mission, we will find solutions to make it happen. It’s crucial to have an ongoing conversation with employees. Every Thursday, we have a forum to discuss how things are going; people share tips. Some found it easier, others found it more challenging. We did it as a team, supporting each other.”
To ensure a successful transition, Rachel Desbiens-Després also advocates for transparency with external partners.
Nothing was left to chance; we had a communication plan both internally and externally. Each of our clients was consulted. We prepared a brief explanatory document about the reason for the change – what would be the impacts on them? What were the solutions? How to handle an emergency on Fridays, for example. By meeting them, they had a space to express themselves and ask questions. I believe that was the key to success.”
Towards Standardization
After one year, the 4-day week is no longer a pilot project but the norm. Rachel Desbiens-Després hopes that this positive news spreads.
We are now at a time where, with all the technology at our disposal and with all the considerations about well-being and mental health, it is time to take concrete actions. The 4-day week is an action with many benefits that can apply in all sorts of industries. Of course, it takes work, reflection, but for me, I really hope it becomes the new reality in Quebec and elsewhere… One day, our grandchildren may look back and say, ‘My God, five days a week, that made no sense!'”
