At the end of 2022, we had the opportunity to read a study that had recently concluded in New Zealand about work-life balance and the 4-day work week. In the study, employees maintained their work responsibilities in the same 4 days as they previously did in a standard 5-day work week. In most cases, they were more productive.
Starting the new year in 2023, Terrawagen decided to adopt the findings and implement our own 4-day work week. We pay our employees for 5 days of work, while they only work for 4. When we say '4 days,' some people may think there's not much difference when you're working 10 hours... Here's where we're different. We work 4, 8-hour days, from Tuesday through Friday. A few employees work Monday through Thursday to cover Mondays. In the 9 months since we adopted this schedule, our production has never suffered; in fact, productivity has increased. We get the same amount of work done in less time, and our employees have a much better work-life balance.
Now you know our big secret and why we have such a fantastic crew. Are we changing the world? Yes. Was it easy? Overcoming uncertainty is a tough challenge, especially when you don't know what the outcome will be. We're sure glad we made this decision and would do it again and again. Take a chance, make a difference; you never know how rewarding it could be.