The typical five-day workweek is a thing of the past for Buffer, at least for now. The company has decided to implement a four-day workweek for the “foreseeable future.”
Last year, the company surveyed its employees to see how they are dealing with the ever-changing landscape of the pandemic and the anxiety and stress that came along with it. They soon learned employees didn’t always feel comfortable or like they could take time off.
Employees felt guilty for taking PTO while trying to meet deadlines. Juggling work and suddenly becoming a daycare worker and teacher for their children at the same time was stressful. So, Buffer looked for a solution to help give employees more time and flexibility to get adjusted to their new routines.
Four-Day Workweek Trials
In May, Buffer started the four-day workweek one-month trial to focus on teammates’ well-being. “This four-day workweek period is about well-being, mental health, and placing us as humans and our families first,” said Buffer CEO and co-founder Joel Gascoigne in a company blog post.
“It’s about being able to pick a good time to go and do the groceries, now that it’s a significantly larger task. It’s about parents having more time with kids now that they’re having to take on their education. This isn’t about us trying to get the same productivity in fewer days,” Gascoigne said.
Buffer’s one-month trial proved to be successful. Survey data from before and after the trial showed higher autonomy and lower stress levels. In addition, employee anecdotal stories showed an increase in worker happiness.
With positive results, Buffer turned the trial into a long-term pilot through the end of 2020. This time, the trial would focus on Buffer’s long-term success.
“In order to truly evaluate whether a four-day workweek can be a success long-term, we need to measure productivity as well as individual well-being,” wrote Director of People Courtney Seiter. “Teammate well-being was our end goal for May. Whether that continues, and equally importantly, whether it translates into customer and company results, will be an exciting hypothesis to test.”
Trial Results
Company Productivity
Buffer’s shorter workweek trials showed employees felt they had a better work-life balance without compromising work productivity. According to the company’s survey data, almost 34% of employees felt more productive, about 60% felt equally as productive, and only less than 7% of employees felt less productive.
However, just saying productivity is higher isn’t proof. To make sure the numbers added up, managers were asked about their team’s productivity. Engineering managers reported that a decrease in total coding days didn’t show a decrease in output. Instead, there was a significant output increase for product teams, and Infrastructure and Mobile saw their output double.
The Customer Advocacy team, however, did see a decline in output. Customer service is dependent on customer unpredictability so this makes sense. Still, the survey showed about 85% to 90% of employees felt as productive as they would have been in a five-day workweek. Customers just had to wait slightly longer to receive replies to their inquiries.
Employee Well-Being
With more time and control of their schedules, Buffer’s survey shows an increase in individual autonomy and decreased stress levels reported by employees. And, the general work happiness for the entire company has been consistent throughout 2020.
What’s in store for 2021?
Based on positive employee feedback and promising company results, Buffer decided it will continue the company-wide four-day workweek this year.
“The four-day work week resulted in sustained productivity levels and a better sense of work-life balance. These were the exact results we’d hoped to see, and they helped us challenge the notion that we need to work the typical ‘nine-to-five,’ five days a week,” wrote Team Engagement Manager Nicole Miller.
The four-day workweek will continue in 2021, but the company will also be implementing adjustments based on the pilot results.
For most teams, Fridays will be the default day off. For teams that aren’t project-based, their workweek will look slightly different. As an example, the Customer Advocacy team will follow a different schedule to avoid customer reply delays and ticket overflow. Each team member will still have a four-day workweek and need to meet their specific targets. They will just have a more flexible schedule.
Companies who follow this format understand that output expectations will be further defined by area and department level. Employees who aren’t meeting their performance objectives will have the option to choose a five-day workweek or might be asked to do so.
If needed, Fridays will also serve as an overflow workday to finish up a project. Of course, schedules will be evaluated quarterly to make sure productivity is continuing to thrive and employees are still satisfied.
But, Miller says Buffer is “establishing ambitious goals” that might “push the limits” of a four-day work week in 2021. With the world slowly starting to normalize, who knows when a four-day workweek might reach its conclusion.
“We aren’t sure that we’ll continue with the four-day workweeks forever, but for now, we’re going to stick with it as long as we are still able to hit our ambitious goals,” wrote Miller.
Lisa Sanderson
February 18, 2009 at 10:39 am
After kicking myself many times, I have been learning to trust my gut more and more. Also, been having these kidns of conversations with my daughters too. We all have it, we just need to tune in to it better…tune in and turn it ON, baby!! Awesome subject, Ines. (PS: heading to the Keys next month-I’ll be sure to let you know who wins the Mojito of the week award from our little group!!)
Dan Connolly
February 18, 2009 at 11:04 am
I tend to go with hunches, problem is that it can come back and bite you on the haunches, if you get accused of discrimination, the “I had a hunch this person was a giant waste of time” defense won’t float.
Ken Brand
February 18, 2009 at 11:21 am
Social Objects indeed.
Yeah, now you’re flying at 30,000 feet lady. In fact, recognizing your “Social Object” object and it’s popularity, I have included it a smattering of blog posts…and yes exactly as you described, in tingly, goose bump kinda way, although we’ve never met, your ghost glided through my subconscious and strummed my Top Of Mind Awareness.
I have my next AG post for Friday (Sociopathic Plug = Titled: The Golden Rule Is Broken) loaded and I include a “Mojito” reference.
Brillinat stuff your sharing here.
I need a Social Object of my own. I guess “tripod”, “boomerang” and “wing-nut” are kinda lame.
Thanks for the hmmmm nudge:-)
Ines Hegedus-Garcia
February 18, 2009 at 11:41 am
Lisa – I’m going to stereotype here, but women are known to be more perceptive than men for some unknown (maybe we like to be in tune with our psyche) – either way….talking to your daughters about it is awesome and recognizing the times you missed an opportunity is huge!
I want to hear all about your Keys trip and mojito cheers ahead of time for you! 😀
Dan – discrimination and hunches don’t mix, my friend. You are perfectly well equipped and allowed to tell a client you have different styles or you are not capable of meeting their needs withought it being labeled as “discrimination”.
I turn listings down all the time when I know the client will not cooperate the way I need them to.
Ken – you managed to really crack me up. Can’t wait to read your article and there’s a saying in Spanish that says “they do fly don’t they?” ….don’t ask
Elaine Reese
February 18, 2009 at 11:42 am
Well, I had an opportunity to go out with some friends last week. When the server took our drink order, guess WHAT I ordered and WHO I thought of when I did. My friends had not heard of the drink so I had to explain that “there’s this blogger in Miami ….”.
Ines Hegedus-Garcia
February 18, 2009 at 12:36 pm
Elaine….THAT’s what I’m talking about! (hope those mojitos were good!) 🙂
Jeff Turner
February 18, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Sometimes an outside eye is helpful in ratifying hunches. Glad I could help. Side benefit… I have a new favorite drink. 🙂
Ines Hegedus-Garcia
February 18, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Hey Jeff, you may have a new favorite drink – but I have an awesome new spokesman:
https://miamism.com/the-miamism-mojito-revolution/
maybe you should be my manager 🙂
Missy Caulk
February 18, 2009 at 4:24 pm
Ines, it is working!!! I was in Va Beach this weekend, and I ordered a Mojito and had my son take my photo.
You are first in my mind when I think of them.
Maybe you could be the Mojito Girl, sorta like the Obama girl and get famous really quick on YouTube.
Ines Hegedus-Garcia
February 18, 2009 at 4:29 pm
Woo Hoo Missy!! where’s the pic? I want to see!
Paula
February 18, 2009 at 10:00 pm
Okay – I have to admit, I am a puppy when it comes to drinking and haven’t yet tried a Mojito, but whenever I see it online, I know it has to have something to do with Ines.
On another note – women do have a built in sixth sense we should listen to always.
I’ll let you know when I find myself enjoying a mojito – and send a pic!
Laura Cannon
February 18, 2009 at 10:19 pm
Thanks for this post! I take my hunches very seriously. I don’t always follow them, but I do reflect on them and weigh them with other evidence and with other people’s opinions. Usually, my hunches are helpful because they point me in the right direction.
I think hunches are based on accumulated knowledge that we are not completely aware of. It’s similar to how your arms or your feet instinctively move in a way to protect you or brace you when you fall.
Ines Hegedus-Garcia
February 19, 2009 at 12:31 am
Paula – that’s the whole thing….mojitos is not about drinking at all – it’s about the conversation that leads from it – but I do expect a pic!
Laura – it’s those instincts that make us better and complete our beings – if we ignore them…what life do we really live? Some of us embrace them and some of think we don’t have them. If you can learn to use them for more than just protection, you will be surprised where life takes you.
Russell Shaw
February 19, 2009 at 2:18 am
Sometimes we know something but don’t know how we came to know it. If logic was involved the thoughts involved were not known or examined. But that does not suggest you don’t know it. An aware person would know how they felt and often that can be good enough. Malcom Gladwell wrote an excellent book about this called, “Blink”.
Ines Hegedus-Garcia
February 19, 2009 at 2:01 pm
Thanks for the book suggestion Russell, will have to look into it – I’ve always had a special interest for instincts and intuition – if we could all develop these in a way to help us be better human beings, it would be fantastic.
Dan Connolly
February 19, 2009 at 6:43 pm
Ines,
First I want to say I completely that you should trust your instincts. 100%. I am intuitive and believe in it. I think it has saved my life in the past.
My discrimination comment was based on some personal experience and was meant to help people understand that it’s important how to deliver the message when your instincts might say not to work with someone.
I first heard about my company being investigated for discrimination by the National Fair Housing Alliance listening to National Public radio in the car.
Trust me, the basis for the investigation was not treating all clients equally. Some got better service than others. We managed to avoid sanctions but it took a year and a lot of stress to get past it.
As far as mojitos go, I lost my taste for alcohol 8 yrs ago, but your posts and pictures make me want to start up again!
Ines Hegedus-Garcia
February 19, 2009 at 10:22 pm
Thanks for coming back and expanding on the discrimination issue Dan – it’s a concept I will never understand (which is a good thing I suppose).
Don’t get the taste back for mojitos, but at least join in the conversation….that’s the best part!