How to Implement a 4DWW: A step by step guide
By Chris Lau
Welcome everyone!, I`m Chris, one of the principal consultants at Social Impact Consulting and I have worked in several community organizations over my professional career where we either already had, or where we chose put in place a 4-day work week (4DWW).
I wanted to share some of my experiences for those who consider implementing this 4DWWas a viable and preferred way of working. In this blog entry, we finish up the topic by sharing all the steps needed to proceed with a 4DWW model.
Getting Started
Engage with the entire team about implementing the 4DWW. Make sure all staff have the space to share their thoughts and concerns in an honest and safe way.
Speak with other organizations with missions similar to yours that have tried, or currently implement, 4DWW. The following organizations have implemented 4DWW
COCo: www.coco-net.org
Maison Plein Coeur: www.maisonpleincoeur.org
AIDS Community Care Montreal: www.accmontreal.org
David Suzuki Foundation: https://davidsuzuki.org
Imagine Canada: https://www.imaginecanada.ca
Bring all of this feedback to the Board so they can decide whether to explore this possibility further.
If the decision is to move forward, draft a policy around 4DWW so that its implementation is clear to everyone in the organization. Gather input from staff, Board, volunteers and clients. Including volunteers and clients avoids this being a complete surprise to them once you begin implementing it.
Get this policy approved by the Board before implementation.
Pilot test the policy for a set period of time (3-6 months, ideally 6 months) before committing to it longer-term. Clarify that after the try-out period, if experiences are not in favor of 4DWW, the organization may go back to its original set up and/or consider other tweaks.
Develop a communications plan targeting various key stakeholders (clients, funders, community partners, volunteers):
Mention that it’s a pilot project;
Identify how information will be integrated into the organization’s various communication mechanisms (website, social media, phone system, email signatures, voicemails, newsletter, etc.).
Put in place a monitoring and evaluation plan before launching the pilot project.
Assess feedback from the monitoring and evaluation plan at the end of the pilot project to determine how to move forward.
Need our support?
Need guidance or accompaniment around implementing 4DWW in your organization? Want to explore strategies to increase staff recruitment and retention, staff quality of life and work efficiency? Feel free to contact us at Social Impact Consulting; we offer a free one-hour consultation to begin the discussions.
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