Our Executive Director & CEO Liz Hamilton talks about work benefits in this week's Worcester Business Journal.
Burnout. Job Dissatisfaction. Work Inequities. The Great Resignation. Staffing Shortages. Our US workplace environment desperately needs a makeover. Although the challenge of retaining and recruiting employees is complex and there is no magic pill, one potential solution could be a four-day work week. It was for us at the Boys & Girls Club of Worcester.
A little background on how we got to the shortened work week: In March of 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, my hard-working and committed team members provided emergency childcare for hospital personnel, first responders, and essential workers. We then quickly pivoted again to create learning hubs for our youth when schools went remote for the 2020-2021 school year. Even when schools reopened the following year, under Department of Public Health and Early Education & Care guidelines, our staff and kids were still required to follow stringent rules of mask-wearing and other safety protocols. The result was that many of us felt physically tired, emotionally drained, and often disengaged. I’m sure many can relate, as it certainly was not unique to the direct service or childcare fields. The difference was that other industries allowed employees to work at home, at least sometimes, my team never had that opportunity as they were needed onsite to provide care and support for our Club kids.
In January of 2022, when I hosted the annual “State of the Club” discussion with all employees, my team spoke of their struggles with work-life balance, admitting that working at the Club often felt overwhelming, especially since unfilled positions required them to wear other hats. Although they appreciated the incentives and bonuses that had been provided, it wasn’t enough. I mentioned the four-day work week and that studies showed it had increased employees’ job satisfaction and productivity in the UK, Denmark, and Sweden. My team perked up when we began trying to envision a plan. We agreed that it would require a lot of logistical preparation, hiring additional staff, and holding each other accountable. We aimed for a fall 2022 kickoff. After receiving legal advice we were off and running.
The first thing team members did was decide to opt in or out. Our director of operations worked with the team on a workable schedule: We could not allow the change to hurt our kids or prevent them from receiving services or the attention they needed.
There were a few hiccups. Approximately 65% of our full-time employees opted in and sometimes communication was not perfect. When several staff became ill the same week, we had to briefly pause the initiative to make sure we had coverage and met the necessary staff to youth ratios.
Overall, both management and team agree that the pilot has been a success. One important outcome was a major decrease in unexpected “call outs.” Our team members generally kept to their scheduled work days: Even if they were experiencing a challenging week, they could remind themselves of their upcoming day off. Staff say that having an extra day to decompress, get errands done, take care of urgent matters, or spend additional time with their family has been invaluable.
Staff who participated in the pilot also reported that when they worked onsite, they felt focused, present when working with our kids, and able to get more accomplished because they felt refreshed. The decreased work week, in my opinion, also better promoted an equitable workplace for women, who are still the primary caretakers of children and home.
And what about those who opted not to participate? They still saw benefits. As one team member explained, “It feels good to be working at a place that provides flexibility. Although I did not participate, I saw how much happier those who did seemed, and it helped our entire work environment.” Another said that they used to feel resentful of team members who would chronically call out sick but now they felt less anxious and stressed because of a significant decrease in unexpected time off among the staff.
Our pilot program ends in May as we have agreed that we are not yet ready (or have the staffing) to continue the four-day work week during our busiest time of the year, summer, when we provide approximately 15 hours of youth programming a day. We plan to resume the initiative in the fall. I think the biggest lesson I learned is the importance of listening to your team members and trying something that, although risky, has the potential for great benefit.
Read the article at the Worcester Business Journal.