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Companies all over the world are experimenting with breaking away from the traditional five-day work week to move to a more condensed or shortened one. My husband, an HR manager, has implemented 4x10 (4 days of 10 hours each) at his company for over two years now and I have had countless discussions with him on whether language service providers could switch to such a model. I originally had some reservations because LSPs need to be there for their clients at a minimum of five days a week – if not more. That is, until I found an LSP that made it work.
Let’s start with reviewing why more and more organizations see benefits in changing the typical work-week model:
We interviewed Diego Cresceri, Founder and CEO of Italy-based Creative Words (#20 on our list of largest LSPs in Southern Europe). During an employee innovation challenge last year, a team member suggested the shift to a four-day work week. At first, the idea didn’t gain traction. But once Cresceri attended a webinar on the topic, he decided to implement it. And with just a single month of prep time, he launched a company-wide trial that he expects will convert to standard practice at the end of the year.
He used the following formula:
What was the key to their success? Cresceri commented, “The staff was somewhat anxious, but I asked each team what they could improve to make the switch possible.” Here are seven examples of what they had to implement:
Aside from minor comments tied to the anxiety of the change, the switch has been seamless for staff, clients, and vendors. All manage to take their time off consistently, including the leadership team – only two executives are sometimes unable able to. Cresceri admitted that stress levels sometimes increase, but with time, teams will learn new responses to deal with the challenges. He reported an impressive benefit: “Despite paying people 100% and getting 20% less of their time, it has not affected our profitability.” However, the company is only three months into its trial and more time is necessary to prove the model’s sustainability.
The CEO of a mid-sized US-based LSP reported having attempted the four-day work week, but backtracked from it because project managers didn’t manage to turn off on their day off. Despite having reliable backups, they wanted to deal with project issues themselves, which defeated the purpose. Being out of the office can make you feel out of touch and vulnerable. So, success depends a great deal on the culture, environment, and tools available to support the effort.
Why don’t more LSPs try to make the switch? Most likely many of them are nervous about how to make it work without affecting client satisfaction or burning out staff. LSPs still need to refine the magic formula that will make it successful for everyone. We expect that, as innovative work schedules gain more ground in business in general, more LSPs will consider this as a way to remain an attractive employer.
Director of LSP Service
Focuses on LSP business management, strategic planning, sales and marketing strategy and execution, project and vendor management, quality process development, and interpreting technologies
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