Bolt Is the First Tech Unicorn to Adopt 4-Day Workweek
Ryan Breslow, the founder of Bolt, announced earlier this year that the company permanently switched to a 4-day workweek.
In a Twitter thread, he states that this change was possible due to some positive results of a 3-month experiment.
Ryan says that the company doesn't like to waste time with “countless meetings, confusing presentations, and constant banter”.
In a survey conducted after the experiment the results were as follows:
- 94% are in favor of continuing
- 86% are more efficient with their time
- 85% of managers are able to hit OKRs
- 84% have improved work-life balance
- 84% are more productive at work
- 80% have eliminated unnecessary meetings
Nonetheless, there’s more that we can learn from them.
More Days Don’t Mean More Results
Fewer workdays prompt employees to look for conscious collaboration.
As there were 8 hours less in their weekly schedule, they needed to make sure every task had proper meaning.
Meetings became more concise, intentional, and impactful.
Focus Predicts Success
Their belief that people who are highly focused do their work no matter what proved to be right.
The employees were able to match the company’s prior results regardless of working one less day.
Ryan even says that “for them, nothing really changed.”
Creativity Is Key
As people work more and more they become exhausted. Lowering to a 4day work week the creativity of the team raised.
They were able to come up with new ideas, angles, and insights that pushed the business forward.
Energy Was Flowing
Since the employees had now 3 days to rest, they went back to work more energized.
It becomes simple math, the more energy divided per fewer days, the more alive the team looks, and more work is done in less time.
They Are Happier
Bolt doesn’t believe that work shouldn’t entirely feel like work.
It should be something that people gladly do and that benefits both them and their company.
By giving people more time for themselves, Bolt ensured its employees were happier. That leads to effortless problem-solving, more smiles, and more laughs.
Final Thoughts
Ryan is a firm believer that 4 days work week is not a matter of “if” but a “when” for most companies.
The truth is, the happier the people are, the more they are willing to do.
Proof of that is the evident increase of productivity, engagement, and wellness of the team.
Now we just have to wait and see which big company will commit to the jump next.
Inspired by a fellow creator, I decided to challenge myself to publish 100 short-form articles within January. This is article number 40.
