When one New Zealand company touted the benefits of its four-day work week policy back in July, the story became headline news here and garnered an effusive response from people around the world. Perpetual Guardian, a company that manages trusts and wills, trialled a four-day work week and encouraged staff to manage their personal lives and home commitments on their extra day. The result? Employees reported a better work-life balance, lower stress levels, increased life satisfaction and crucially, their productivity remained the same. The news was a welcome antidote to the ever-encroaching nature of work and the pressure to be always 'on' and contactable via email.
Judging by the plaudits the trial received, more of us are attracted to (or at least intrigued by) the prospect of working four days a week. We picture ourselves finally starting that novel, taking Pilates classes in the middle of the day or starting our own business from the comfort of our bed. But is that realistic? How much of a difference would it really make to our wellbeing?
Nine women who work four days a week told Refinery29 how they spend their extra day and how it's affected their lives...
Yariella Coello, 36, is a digital marketing and data consultant and blogger at The Beauty Backpacker based in London. She has been working a four-day week for a few months after returning from a backpacking trip and realising she wanted to build "a more flexible lifestyle".
My free day changes a lot, depending on what I have on. Typically, I work on my travel blog (writing new posts, taking photographs, scheduling my marketing content, making travel plans) but since I'm also trying to build my freelance consultancy (and income!) from scratch and win new clients, I sometimes do all the admin for the business as well (working on the new website, defining services, networking for new clients). I can break up the day as I please, using my lunchtime to go on a run or do yoga, or stocking up on groceries and sorting out life admin when shops and services are less busy.
Professionally, I have a newfound buzz and excitement because I'm getting to balance working with new passion projects. With this has also come a confidence boost, as it's nice to see what I'm really capable of doing out on my own. Of course, there's added financial pressure to make this all work – and fast – so that it's financially sustainable. There's serious stress around taking the risk and the lack of financial security, but for me having to budget, cut back and possibly even work harder is outweighed by being able to design a lifestyle that makes me happy.
I'm no longer constantly having to "catch up". I can do laundry in between meetings or clear my head with midday exercise. It's been fantastic for my mental health, but I'll have to create some boundaries around home and work life because building my own freelance business means I could be "on" all the time, and the professional and personal lines could blur.
Ruth Taylor, 34, is the CEO and fundraising manager at Abortion Support Network (ASN), and is based in London. She adopted a four-day week in January to explore a portfolio way of working and improve her work/life balance.
For the first few months I was training for a marathon and getting to grips with a new role and organisation, so I allowed myself to enjoy it – going out for lunch with friends and family, doing work for the small charity of which I'm a trustee, visiting my 94-year-old grandad, having a lie-in, seeing my personal trainer, going for long runs, having long weekends away, catching up on life admin and finance. Having had such a glorious summer it's been a treat being able to go to the lido or sit in the park on a weekday. More recently I've been using it to explore other opportunities that I might take up in addition to my work with ASN, so reaching out to people I've known in the past and catching up with them.
It's made me more focused. By Tuesday lunchtime it feels as though the week is almost over, and it's easier to get more done, more efficiently. I'm also working out what the next phase of my life will look and feel like. I'd like to have additional projects on the go, meaning that I work slightly more across the year, but not full-time.
It's made me more relaxed, with more time to do the things that are important to me, and that help me stay balanced. It's definitely had a positive impact on my mental wellbeing, and although work and life can be stressful, I'm not taking on the stress and anxiety in the way I was previously. I have more time to spend with friends and family, at a time when my parents have retired and there are a lot of babies around – actually spending quality time with people rather than the harried catch-up dinners and drinks that can be such a theme of London in our 20s and 30s.
Lauren Rolfe, 25, is a primary school teacher based in London. She started working four days a week as a supply teacher in January for respite from full-time work, to explore her hobbies and think about her future.
On a typical day 'off', I wake up later and make myself something a bit more time-consuming for breakfast, which I don’t normally get to do. Then I’ll watch a series while I draw or paint, Instagram some new pieces of work and email some markets to see if they’ll display my art. Sometimes I go to charity shops to look for clothes or furniture to up-cycle. I'll do some cleaning and life admin if needed and if I feel up for it I’ll do some research into jobs and master's courses. I sometimes meet friends and family if they’re not working and often in the evenings I meet my boyfriend to do something nice together in London, which is difficult during working days because I tend to tutor until 7pm.
It’s an opportunity for me to gain sight of myself and not be defined by being busy and working. I’ll never go back to being a slave to my job. I've also realised that teaching isn’t for me, but I take the positive from this and am really driven to make my art business work. I’ve researched a lot and have realised I would like to investigate government/ social research areas through a master's. So although professionally I’m stunted, right now, it has opened some doors for me to investigate further and utilise the skills I already have in other ways.
My mental health has soared. I feel so much more alive as I can spend more time on myself. My relationships are healthier and I have a lot of 'me time', which was my key aim when first leaving my job. I'm so happy that I can explore more about myself and my skills and can do as I fancy, before feeling tied to the weekend expectations of birthday nights out and family commitments. If you can financially afford it, I'd highly recommend it.
Georgina Henshall, 29, is a freelance graphic designer based between Windsor, Berkshire and Murcia, Spain. She left a full-time agency role to work for herself (Mondays to Thursdays) in September 2016 after becoming frustrated with her "stagnant" routine and "toxic" work environment.
I work long hours Monday to Thursday and reward myself with an extra day off on Fridays, which has worked out so well. How I spend my day depends on which country I am in – as a freelancer I can work from anywhere, so I travel back and forwards between the UK and Spain (where my boyfriend is based) every few weeks, depending on what meetings I have with UK clients.
Usually I'll have a small lie-in until around 9.30am, check my emails in case there are any emergencies, plan out and write up my to-do lists for the week ahead so this doesn’t eat into my work time the following week, and then the rest of the day is spent either exploring, travelling to a new town, relaxing on the beach or visiting family. What I do after my initial wake up, check email, to-do list ritual changes each week but I ensure I always do my planning for the week ahead. It means I don't have to worry about anything all weekend, leaving me to be present in whatever I am doing.
I wouldn’t have dreamed that by working for myself I'd be able to take an extra day off, but it has given me back so much more. My work requires a lot of focus and attention to detail. When I worked full-time I would make stupid mistakes towards the end of the week purely from being overworked, stressed and not managed properly. Now, having an extra day off allows me to recharge, focus and plan, which is reflected in the attention to detail and high quality I am able to provide my clients.
I've noticed a huge difference in my mental and physical health. I sit down for a large majority of my working week but the extra day allows me more time to move my body, making me instantly feel better inside and out. Working full-time, I used to get bad migraines and by the end of the week I just wanted to sleep all weekend. Now I enjoy and embrace my weekends with my loved ones and I’m not constantly dreading what I have to do next. I actually look forward to Mondays, which is something I never thought I'd say.
If we all started work a little earlier, finished a little later and worked solid for four days a week, we could reap the rewards of the extra day off without feeling deflated and demotivated.
Alex Muller-Nicholson, 34, is an ex-teacher turned freelance writer and artist based in the northeast of England, who runs her own design business and two writing-based websites. She started working a four-day week three years ago to ease herself back into work after having a daughter.
My extra day 'off' varies each week. Some days it's tempting to fire up the laptop and answer work emails but I try not to do this because having an all-consuming work life combined with your home life isn't good for me. So I try to do something that has nothing to do with work; I'll do some exercise or read, maybe practise my passing on the field near my house (I play rugby in the women's leagues) or do housework – though that's not usually my first choice!
If I achieve all my goals in my four-day window then I have an extra day to spend as I like. It's not always easy because I feel, as a lot of self-employed or freelance workers do, that I have to be busy constantly generating work for myself in case it all dries up, but I'm making it a priority to give myself that day more often.
It gives me a space to recharge my brain, even if I feel like I'd rather work. It allows me to stop and lift my head up out of my workload and really look at how I'm spending my time, and if I'm doing so effectively. It's also given me extra time to spend with the people closest to me, which is always a positive thing, even if we're just walking around the supermarket together.
I'd absolutely recommend going part-time to anyone if they can. The world we live in is so high-pressured, fast-paced and intense that we need to stop and take stock of our work/life balance. If I hadn't gone part-time I'd have missed out on a lot of time with my daughter as she's grown up these last few years. Many people can make it work full-time and that's amazing, but I know it would have driven me crazy. I'm not good at the juggling act at the best of times, so I have the utmost respect for those of us who can hold down a full-time role while bringing up children. Even if you don't have kids, having the extra day to reflect and recharge is so valuable that I'd recommend it where possible. It can make the difference to how you view your work and you'll return to it much fresher.
Emily Fleuriot, 39, is a creative director, artist and writer based in London. She stopped working five days a week aged 29 after realising she could still manage her finances while living in a different way. She oscillated between working full-time and part-time until two and a half years ago, when she realised she wasn't engaging in the local community or dedicating enough time to art or writing.
My day off varies, but I try to be strict about using it for my creative practice. I have a studio at Wimbledon Art Studios, and their Open Studios is coming up in November so that's a great deadline to be aiming for. I get up, take the kids to school (I also use this day to connect with my friends on the school gate), then head into the studio to spend the day playing around with ideas and creating art. If I'm not in the studio then I'll be out in London sketching to formulate ideas.
Interestingly, while I practise my art for personal reasons, I've found that by taking time out to learn to look and make creative choices, it has made me exponentially better at my job as a creative director. And spending more time in my community, volunteering for my kids' school, for example, means I have a much better grasp of how a more diverse set of people live, which is useful as in my job I need to come up with ideas that are inspiring and relevant to a broad spectrum of people.
Having time out that is governed by me has allowed me to really evolve and grow as a person, understand myself better, and shed a lot of the blocks that hold me back, as it has reduced the noise that a frenetic working week can bring, and all the distractions from what you really want. It's meant I can work five days if I want to, but now do it way more mindfully and can keep my head even when everything is manic.
I'd totally recommend it – if it fits in with what you want to achieve or gives you the space to grow into what you want to do. The most important thing is it gives you space to listen to yourself and decide for yourself what a successful day looks like.
Claire Gamble, 32, is a marketing consultant and managing director at Unhooked Communications and founder of the Northern Creative Collective, based in Manchester. She started working a four-day week five years ago after having her first child, to spend time with her children and keep childcare costs down.
Typically, we meet up with friends or go to the park, a soft play area, a museum or other attraction. We sometimes go and visit family and take a longer weekend away, too. It can change week-to-week based on what else we're up to during the week or weekend.
It's made me much more productive. I get through just as much work – if not more – than when I worked full-time. I have the added advantage that because I'm self-employed and have a virtual team, we keep meetings to a minimum. We all have reasons for wanting to freelance or run our own businesses so we make sure we're working as efficiently as possible and cut out meetings or activities that don't benefit our paying clients. The extra breathing space away from the office and laptop gives me time to reflect on my business and work, and I often find I come up with new ideas. I'm a big believer that to help creativity, you need to take time away from the task in hand, doing something else to let your subconscious mind do its thing.
Working four days a week has definitely improved my work-life balance, health and home life. But as my business grows, it can cause some stress when there are urgent deadlines or something happens towards the end of the week that needs my attention. Luckily, I have a great team. We all work slightly different days and hours so there's always someone on hand to make sure projects are progressing.
If you're thinking about working a four-day week, make sure you set boundaries and communicate with clients and customers when you're available. And remember why you wanted this extra day off in the first place – whether it's for a hobby, side hustle, volunteering or spending time with your family. You might find that if you're self-employed you don't take as many proper holidays because you're working fewer days, but it's still worth booking a full week off every now and then to stop you burning out and to give you a full break.
Emma Gilbey, 30, works in digital PR in London and started working four days a week six months ago to coincide with a transition into full-time freelancing.
A big attraction to the freelance world was of course being your own boss and I soon realised that the clichéd Monday-to-Friday nine-to-five was unnecessary and felt old hat. My day 'off' is very changeable but I tend to take either Monday or Friday off. It seems that the world wakes up on a Tuesday and quiet days when you're freelancing are frustrating. I tend to run errands or meet up with friends. The jobs that you tend to rush home from work to do are usually done on these days off.
Since working for myself, I no longer spend time browsing through ASOS or scrolling through Instagram during 'office hours'. Time seems more valuable and you use it to the best of your ability, which is why four-day weeks seemed efficient. Someone once told me that no job can’t be completed in three days and at the time I didn't believe it. Now I can see their logic. I'm more laid-back than I've ever been and I think that's due to the luxury of time. Weekends used to fly but now free time is just that.
If you're thinking about taking the plunge, I'd say get organised – it's impossible to cut down your hours without it. Also, don’t feel guilty. I always used to feel guilty when I wasn’t working, but when you cut down your hours you really see the value of what you do and what you can achieve.
Paula Hutchings, 39, is the director of Marketing Vision Consultancy, and is based in Hampshire. She started working a four-day week in 2016 when her two sons were both in school, up from two days a week, to create a flexible career and spend time with her family.
Friday is typically my day off but it changes each week. On a Friday morning I do a kettlebells class with a friend after dropping my sons off at school. I often take myself to a nice café to self-educate on something business-related, but for me rather than work. I'm also trying harder to read for pleasure. I walk to pick up my boys and then have time at home or out and about.
Professionally, I've had some amazing opportunities over the years; working fewer hours has not, in my view, negatively impacted my career.
I have a great work/life balance which provides me with a fulfilling career and business, and also allows plenty of time with my boys while they're young. It can at times be isolating working from home, but there are plenty of co-working spaces and networking groups to go to which combats this. I also have time to exercise, which is essential for both mental and physical wellbeing. I could never imagine holding down my corporate job alongside being a happy person. With all the incredible technology available today, we can run a business or work from anywhere – nine-to-five (or longer) five days a week is just not necessary anymore.
I'd tell anyone else thinking about it to go for it. To have a happy life, we need balance. Pulling back some time to do other things in your life other than work – whether that be exercise, a hobby, a passion project or simply spending quality time with friends and family – is essential to our overall wellbeing and mental health. Life is too short to be unhappy and stressed out.
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