Innovation management platform edison365 announces a four-day week for its employees in both the UK and USA offices, to improve work-life balance. The move follows a successful 4.5-day week implementation that the company has been enjoying for the past six months. The 3-month pilot will start in January, and edison365 is expected to make the change permanent in April, keeping full pay.
Pursuing a better work-life balance
In pursuit of a better work-life balance for its employees, edison365 trialed a 4.5-day working week in 2020, making Friday a half-day with a finish at 2 pm for all. The trial was successful, so the company made this change permanent, allowing its teams to enjoy things that matter to them – more time with their children, a yoga class, or pursuing a hobby.
Ellis Putnam, Marketing Manager at edison365, said: “The half-day Friday has made a big difference to my week and my overall wellbeing. I’ve been able to dedicate the afternoon to my hobby, I spend the time horse riding most Fridays, very much enjoying extra time outdoors. This makes me feel that I have a better balance between my work and personal life, and the weekends feel longer too!”
As a true advocate of work-life balance, and with his passion for innovation and challenging convention, the company’s CEO Ivan Lloyd has always believed that there must be a better way than the usual Monday to Friday:
“I love my work, but I also love my free time. Organizations have historically been wedded to the 5 vs 2 notion with work severely overbalancing outside life. The concern for organizations, I believe, has always been that fewer days will mean less work accomplished. I have long held that it’s not the number of days or even the hours that employers should worry about, it’s the outcomes that are of value. People who have the appropriate balance in their lives, and who are empowered to self-organize, will deliver more successful outcomes than those confined within a traditional regime; the move to our 4.5-day week this year proved exactly that. ”
“The goal for me, however, has always been to readdress the work-life balance even further. This move to a four-day week and lowering working hours will deliver a creative environment and level of mental wellbeing which will enable our people to truly thrive; something which I believe will lead to increased innovation and greater value for our customers.”
Four-day week implementation
The four-day-week implementation will start on 1st January with a three-month pilot period with permanent adoption on 1st April. Individual team members will be able to choose between Monday and Friday as their additional free day. If they prefer, they can split this and have two half-days off. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday will remain core business days, with all team members working. Throughout the working week continuity of staffing levels will be maintained to ensure customer service levels are unchanged. The working week will be 32 hours with no reduction in salary.
edison365 expects that the new working week will result in a healthier, happier, and more motivated team.
Jack Selman, Head of Operations and four-day program implementation said: “Protecting and improving the mental health and wellbeing of our people is of utmost importance here at edison365. One in four people experience mental health issues each year, which can have a profound impact on both the individual, and their friends and families. This is why we are passionate to cultivate a culture that promotes a healthy work-life balance, and gives our brilliant people the chance to relax, unwind, and care for themselves.”
The 4.5-day week brought significant benefit to the whole team, and we believe these new changes will put edison365 in the driving seat when it comes to providing an environment to attract the very best talent and deliver even more value to our customer base.
About edison365
edison365 works with the world’s most innovative companies to help them take their ideas from the drawing board to the balance sheet. Its end-to-end innovation and project delivery platform, built on Microsoft 365, offers a seamless process for realizing value from innovation.
