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Four-day work week a powerful ‘hook’ for HR administration

Posted on January 14th, 2012 Read time: 1 minutes

Who wouldn't want an extra day off from work? Indianapolis, Indiana-based strategic consulting firm Slingshot SEO is experimenting with a four-day work week.

According to the company's blog, the system works by letting each employee devote one full day (Friday) to research, while the other four days are stretched to 10 hours.

What are the benefits? According to Inc. magazine, there are many.

First, the move could increase employee retention. A four-day week makes Mondays more tolerable and mixes up the typical routine. Research could be done at home and that extra family time could be particularly compelling for employees with children.

Furthermore, the 10-hour days brings a "sense of urgency (and) … a high level of energy and focused collaboration."

Lastly, the news source points to a recent study that found the No. 1 reason people change jobs is because they don't have a close friend at a company. Happy Hour Thursdays offers an additional opportunity to build friendships and meet new people.

Will this method work for all companies? Probably not, especially if the business has a large customer service component. But the idea is worth considering for companies that can afford to do it. 

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