In May 2025, we launched a pilot at Taylor Newberry Consulting (TNC) to test a bi-weekly 4-day work week. As a research and evaluation firm grounded in evidence and continuous improvement, we wanted to apply the same learning mindset to our own operations.
Our question was simple: Could we strengthen team sustainability while maintaining or improving the quality, focus, and responsiveness our clients rely on?
The pilot wrapped in November 2025. Here’s what we learned.
Wellness as a core value
TNC has a core team of 9 full time, permanent salaried staff who work primarily from home. We believe that a healthy, thriving team produces better work. Creating a workplace that promotes employee wellness isn’t a side initiative for us, it’s a reflection of our values. Of course, creating policies that achieve this goal isn’t always straightforward. Each of us faces a unique combination of challenges related to work-life balance. Some of us are young parents, and some are launching kids into adulthood. Some are managing chronic health issues for ourselves or for other family members. Some of us travel regularly to stay in touch with friends or family. Before this pilot started, TNC’s staff were free to flex their time as they needed from day to day and week to week, using time tracking to monitor that balance. The team was already careful not to send work messages outside of business hours unless absolutely necessary.
The four-day work week pilot was one way we chose to live those values more intentionally.
The biggest takeaway was simple: rest works. Our team felt more refreshed and less stressed, both in our personal and professional lives. We found that when our team is rested, they show up with more focus and a stronger sense of purpose. Even with fewer hours on the clock, our productivity stayed stable, and in some areas, it even improved. This pilot reinforced what we’ve always believed: that when people have space to rest, they show up more focused, more motivated, and more capable of doing deep, thoughtful work.
Learning through the busy seasons
Being a learning organization means being honest about the challenges, too. Summer 2025 was especially busy for us. Between heavy workloads and overlapping vacations, compression required more intentional coordination. We learned that we have to be very intentional with our planning so that the shorter week doesn’t turn into a rushed week that creates more stress than it solves. For example, one big takeaway was that it’s best to avoid 3-day work weeks when there are statutory holidays; those ultra-compressed weeks proved too short to manage deliverables effectively without compounding pressure on the team.
We also found that some of the concerns we had going into the pilot, like finding times to meet with clients, for example, weren’t a big deal. Our partners were consistently receptive and supportive of the vision. Allowing individual employees to continue to flex their time, just as they had with a five-day work week, worked out fine as well, although we all had to learn some new techniques for working in a way that ensured we did not intrude into other team members’ down time. We used tools like using “send it later” for emails, and chats for example. This adaptability ensured client relationships weren’t just maintained; they were strengthened by more intentional planning.
Moving from pilot to permanent
Even with the lessons learned during the busy times, the results were clear. The 4-day work week is good for our team and it fits who we are. We see this as more than just a workplace perk; it’s a way to build an equitable and sustainable organization. We also see this as part of a broader shift in how we think about productivity, one that challenges the assumption that longer hours automatically equal greater value.
Because of this, we are making the reduced work week a permanent part of the TNC Practice. Moving forward, we will:
- Frame this plan as a set of about 24 Fridays a year that TNC will be closed. This will help to avoid situations where a statutory holiday leads to a 3 day work week.
- Protect client continuity through careful scheduling and cross-team coordination.
- Plan proactively for peak seasons to avoid workload compression.
- Continue monitoring internal data and client experience to ensure this model strengthens our work.
- Continue our practice of No Meeting Fridays. On the Fridays we are open, we keep our calendars clear of meetings to provide dedicated focus time for deep work.
Thank you for your support
To our clients and partners: thank you for coming along on this journey with us. Your support affirms that the principles guiding our research also shape how we operate as an organization.
Our team is always available for confidential conversations about what we have learned about workplace wellness, and how you might adapt those insights to your specific needs.