Why we Adopted the 4-day Workweek (and Why You Should Too)

The world’s largest four-day week trial for six-months, with 61 companies/2,900 employees in UK proved that employees are happier with a 32-hour week due to better work-life balance. Similar trials have been conducted in US, Ireland, and Australia. 

After the pilot:

• 39% of employees were less stressed
• 40% were sleeping better
• 54% said it was easier to balance work and home responsibilities
• # of sick days fell about 2/3
• 57% fewer staff quit jobs
• Majority of companies reported satisfactory productivity and business performance

This is the kind of change we need in cybersecurity. A survey conducted by application security provider Promon with 311 cybersecurity professionals at this year’s Black Hat Europe expo proves burnout is a problem in our industry:

”Sixty-six percent of the respondents claim to have experienced burnout this year. The survey also found that 51% reported working more than four hours per week over their contracted hours.” (Promon)

How Does the 4-day Week Work for us at Cult?  

We at Cult believe that with a 4-day work week we are really working to cultivate diverse talent and challenge what a cybersecurity startup does and looks like. We are a growing diverse team of international professionals and we want to be modern and forward-looking with how we treat our employees. And we believe we get better results with happy people. 

In practise our people agree with their teams when it is necessary to work together. The rest of the working time is up to each employee to plan. You can choose to split your 30 hours a week (that is a 4-day week in Finland) in 4 days or make shorter days throughout the 5 days of the week.  

“The flexibility provided by the 4-day workweek has been hugely life-enhancing. It has allowed me to spend time with family, keep up with hobbies and commitments, and come to work with energy and focus,” says Ian Fox, Product Specialist at Cult Security.  

Is it possible to meet deadlines and stay on top of to-do lists while having work-life balance? New ways of working, of course, require re-thinking working practices and even different patterns to spread the working hours of a week. Internal communication, status checks and the efficient usage of digital workspaces are crucial.  

And trust, nothing works without trusting your colleagues. 

What do you think of a four-day working week?