The 9 day fortnight: how a London based HR service is looking at work differently

Rather than trialing a 4-day work week, for the last 9 months, London-based CharlieHR, a service has been trialing a 9-day fortnight with its team alternating between a 5 and 4 day work week to test if adjusting traditional working patterns can boost wellbeing and productivity.

CharlieHR launched its 9-day fortnight trial with a goal to improve its team’s wellbeing and enable them to have more energy to give back to other important areas of their life outside of work. The trial was also an attempt to think boldly about how the team could increase their focus and in-turn become more efficient and productive.

And lastly, to provide another vehicle for hiring, motivating and retaining a brilliant and diverse team. With other policies such as its Mental Health sick days and Nomad Working policy, the 9-day fortnight was designed to support CharlieHR’s wider ambition to be at the forefront of progressive approaches which will ‘Make Work Better.’

The wellbeing-related results of the trial, a 24 percent decrease in work-related stress and a 14 percent increase in the ability to disengage from work were welcome, but to some extent expected. However, with the business unsure as to whether productivity-levels would be impacted by reducing working hours, the11 percent increase in self-reported productivity was the trial’s biggest surprise.

Ben Gateley, CEO and Co-founder of CharlieHR said: “It came from the simple and obvious premise that if team members have more time to be fulfilled outside of work, they will be happier and therefore likely to do a better job.

“What wasn’t clear when we started the trial was whether increased personal energy and bounce would make up for lost time and mean we don’t lose by way of productivity. It has seemed not, and productivity is up by 11 percent.

“Having working hours reduced does seem to improve team members’ focus we just need to keep a watchful eye that this remains to be the case. An inspiration for positive focus and not a stressful pressure to get the same amount of work done in a shorter period of time.”

CharlieHR’s trial came at a time when many other businesses were signing up to a 4-day work week as part of a trial with Oxbridge and Boston College in the US. The spirit of the 4-day week, to test new and better ways of working, was aligned with CharlieHR’s intentions but it was felt a 4-day work week would not work for the CharlieHR team.

Of his decision to trial a 9-day fortnight over a 4-day work week, Ben Gateley said: “companies and employees must be under no illusion that the 4-day work week is some kind of ‘magic bullet.’ Companies operate within all kinds of structures. Some will be able to accommodate a shortened working week, and, for others, it would be totally inappropriate.

“Working policies should feel as diverse as the products and services different businesses offer. Only then will we find solutions which actually work commercially and personally.”