Roland and Ryan take an honest look at some companies that are trying to reinvent business these days and discuss the pros and cons of each of these work schedule innovations. Business owners across the globe are hoping for bigger wins by changing things up—5-hour workdays, 4-hour workweeks, unlimited time off. But the real question is this: is it working? Find out on today’s show. But before you listen—if your company is looking for a good system for planning out initiatives, setting priorities, and ultimately, getting things done, check out our Scalable OS Accelerator. No matter what your workday or workweek looks like, we can help you map out the best course of action, 90 days at a time. Spots fill up fast, so jump on the waitlist today!
The 5-Hour Workday that Worked. Until It Didn’t.
Tower Paddle Board CEO, Stephan Aarstol, made headlines recently when he admitted that his company’s 5-hour work days just about took them from booming to bankrupt. Kudos to him for trying something new, showing his work, then coming back to share his failure.
Shorter workdays and workweeks are based on the science that says we’re only productive 2-3 hours a day. But we each have different rhythms, and those of us who are creatives can’t always be creative on demand. We need that muse to strike. How do you optimize and harness productivity during a shorter window of time?
Here’s Why Tower Tried That Experiment:
- Humans are not machines.
- Happy people are more productive.
- Fewer hours create scarcity and efficiency.
That all sounds good, so why didn’t it work?
Because your company isn’t working in a vacuum. You might be working less hours, but your competitor in the market isn’t. They’re working harder than you are on behalf of the customer, and they’re going to beat you.
Customer First, Not Employees First
You’ve heard the line: “make your employees happy and it will all work out.” Roland and Ryan don’t buy it. The 8-hour workday and 5-day work week might have been established arbitrarily, but it’s been effective for a long time. Because it meets the customers’ needs.
If you’re going to invest innovative energy at your company, is it best directed at a new way of doing work or better ways to serve the customer? Sales people can’t limit their availability like creatives can. They need to be there for business hours. And your hours need to be informed by your customers, not your employees.
If you seek to innovate, do it in the area of customer value.
So, What’s the Final Verdict?
The general guidelines of the 8-hour, 5-day workweek are good. Go from there and be flexible. Time-block your workday with breaks where you allow yourself to be non-productive or recharge. The important thing is that stuff gets done on time, and your customer gets what they need.
Don’t forget to sign up for our Scalable OS Accelerator if you need some good systems in place to make that happen.
Bottom line: Innovate with your customer in mind. You and your team come second. At the end of the day, we’re serving the people who pay us.
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