Buy-in from leadership and encouraging its use.

Organizational responsibility rather than just individual.

Realistic option and self-directed.

Validation for the hard work staff does.

Sharing the importance of self-care with the board. Leadership modeling, check-ins and encouragement. Regular evaluation of effectiveness/policy review.

All voices are considered and involved with goals, objectives, tasks.

Leadership provides the structure, implementation is shared.

Contribution is welcomed and encouraged.

Transparency is essential to build trust and ideas.

Framework for getting the conversation started! 

1. Identify staff who are interested in being on a reduced work week work group

2. Begin discussions with peers to co-plan how to approach leadership and build the proposal

   1. Create a work group

   2. Facilitate brain dump sessions to get your team started

   3. Create a shared document to track ideas and goals 

   4. Write out talking points and barriers specific to your unique organization

   5. Highlight positives of a reduced work week to attain leadership buy in

   6. Assign certain staff research the following to add to the proposal:

      1. Research on reduced work weeks and productivity 

      2. Research on burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion fatigue

      3. Examples from organizations that have already implemented reduced work weeks and outcomes of those organizations

      4. Data on the benefit of staff retention

3. Identify several allies in leadership and/or on the board who would support the proposal

   1. Get feedback from these allies on the proposal

   2. Fine tune proposal with allies 

   3. Identify who would need to eventually approve and implement the proposal (CEO, Executive Director, Board of Directors, Grant Funders, etc.) 

4. Bring the updated proposal to the peer group to review 

   1. Continue workshopping the proposal based on feedback from allies

5. Present proposal to leadership!

6. Realize that this may not be a short term project, but require long term follow up and follow through! It may not be an immediate yes, but continue working on the project and/or present alternatives in the meantime (see below).

• Sample Proposal:

“We are proposing a 4 day, 32 hour, work week. We recognize this may be a long term organizational goal, and may not be immediately attainable. Our team would appreciate if we could begin this exciting conversation and explore how to make a reduced work week possible in the future, as reduced hours would support better work life balance and overall staff wellbeing. Research on the success of the 4 day work week has demonstrated productivity does not decline when working time is reduced from 40 to 32 hours a week. (Insert current research here). 

We are aware we as an agency need to provide continued coverage to ensure service delivery to survivors. We propose a rotating schedule to ensure there are enough staff available to provide crucial services. Staff may be assigned to Monday-Thursday or Tuesday-Friday schedules based on client needs (insert current operational hours and/or data on the historically “busy” times based on your specific organization here, model schedules based on survivor need).

As anti-violence organizations we recognize the very real occupational hazards of secondary traumatic stress and burnout. In addition to the individual advocates’ responsibility to take care of their wellbeing, there are also organizational and structural responsibilities for caring for the staff and reducing the impact of these burdens. Providing staff with additional personal time allows them to enact vital self care, which can provide them the opportunity to have healthy and sustainable careers in the field of advocacy, improving staff retention and maintaining institutional wisdom.”

Alternatives to consider if a reduced work week is not currently an option for the organization:

• Sample script: “If our organization is unable to immediately move to reduced work weeks the following options could still provide staff with flexibility and time they need to take care of themselves and devote more time to their personal responsibilities:” 

  • Summer Fridays (either whole or half days)

  • More flexible schedules 

  • 2-3 hours of paid “flex hours”/self care time a week 

  • Adding more flexible/floating holidays to the yearly calendar 

    • And/or making current holiday time more flexible 

  • Providing staff with a paid day off around their birthday 

  • Have the leadership/board begin researching how a 4 day work week may be possible in the future, to ensure staff voices are being heard

    • Consider starting a journal or book club for leadership around the concept of reduced work weeks: 

      • Journal club: What’s Stopping the 4-Day Workweek? 

      • Book club: Do More in Four a book by Joe O'Connor and Jared Lindzon - Bookshop.org US