Ah, Labor Day. It’s always a great day for the beach, barbecuing and just not working on what could otherwise be another manic Monday. But for Gen Z research and strategy firm Dcdx, today is just another regular Monday outside the office.
Since the Fourth of July weekend, the remote workforce has been piloting “Summer Mondays,” intentionally enjoying reflective and restorative Mondays off until Labor Day without adding hours to other days.
Andrew Roth, 25, the Cleveland firm’s founder and CEO, said talks about a four-day work week began last fall at a company-wide offsite meeting. The team’s decision culminated after the company’s “Cultural Renaissance Day” in April, when its six employees took half of Monday to individually visit a museum and reflect, photograph and share thoughts over Slack. Both points of contact created a-ha moments, resulting in Summer Mondays.
According to 2019 data from Gartner, a research and consulting firm, 55% of North American organizations offered their employees Summer Fridays.
However, Roth saw something better for the start of the week. “It felt different,” he said. “Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday felt more like a reflective reset where it was more of a space for creative reset and reflection that Friday didn’t feel like a break. So we said, ‘Let’s do this on Monday instead of Friday.’ “
Looking at the big picture, 2022 data from a Bentley-Gallup Business in Society report found that two of the top 3 most positively rated wellness initiatives were employers offering a four-day work week (77%) and limiting the amount of Employees are expected to perform work outside working hours (73%). Overall, these efforts point to potentially reducing stress and burnout, improving your quality of life, and essentially driving a cultural shift.
Erin Wade, entrepreneur, chef and author of The Mac & Cheese Millionaire: Building a Better Business by Thinking Outside the Box (Wiley), agreed.
“We need to focus on quality of work over quantity of work, and for most of us, longer hours hurt our productivity and creativity and our ability to do our best work,” she said. “Anyone who plays a non-traditional schedule and works with their team to see what feels best deserves real credit.”
Roth said that, at first, summer Mondays felt dangerous, fearing that it could add more stress to people who feel behind at work during the week. This did not end up being a reality.
He also felt “uncomfortable pressure” at first. Roth said, “Slowing down while the world around you keeps moving is a scary feeling as a CEO. But in today’s fast-paced world and culture, I’m increasingly aware of the slow moments, especially when others they move fast, they’re what help you see clearly.”
Fortunately, customers were “very receptive and really understanding” when they were first informed, and the gamble paid off.
“I’m seeing a more motivated team, more creative thinking, more energetic communication and quality work,” said Roth, who spent Mondays visiting family and friends, reading and writing. “The transition to a four-day work week has shown clear improvements in job satisfaction, stress levels and work-life balance.”
He engaged the team for continuous feedback by sending weekly surveys to everyone to self-assess job satisfaction, stress levels, number of hours worked, creativity and more.
Experts say employee engagement is key. “No culture program should run on autopilot, especially when experimenting with something new,” said Sarah Lewis-Kulin, vice president of global recognition and research at Great Place to Work, a global authority on workplace culture. “Survey your employees to gather feedback and improve your program to ensure it meets the unique needs of your people.”
Although shorter work weeks aren’t always feasible for some occupations, Lewis-Kulin said it’s not about where you work or your schedule — it’s about who you work for. “If you’ve created a great workplace culture, your people will have a better experience, and that experience will drive business performance,” Lewis-Kulin said.
Julia Ramirez, 24, a cultural strategist for Dcdx in Prospect Heights, appreciated her intentional time Monday. “I often set aside a few hours to create art, visit museums, and on busy weeks, gather ideas for current projects.”
In turn, this boosted her energy for the coming week “to set clearer goals each day, knowing I have fewer days to complete weekly tasks.”
The firm’s chief strategy officer, Mara Stolzenbach, 26, agreed. The Bushwick resident felt “really raring to go” every Tuesday morning after a day of taking it slow. “Feeling super rested and calm on Tuesday from focusing on getting my energy well back up.” She also adapted and implemented new strategies for efficient workflows during compressed work weeks.
Stolzenbach leaned into her wedding planning, including a meeting with her rabbi. “I don’t have to leave work in the afternoon [to do it] felt good Besides planning the wedding, I’ve been spending my time trying to give my brain a break from the stimulation of the weekend.
While Fridays can become super social to get a jump start on the weekend, Stolzenbach embraced Mondays for rest, reflection and rejuvenation. “I think Mondays are a perfect day for ‘me time’, something that is increasingly difficult to find in an always ‘busy or otherwise’ culture. Getting real vacations to yourself is so rare. “Mondays are a great way to use it,” Stolzenbach said.
While Roth and the team haven’t decided yet whether the trial will run year-round, he said, “At the very least, we’ll do it next summer.”
For Ramirez, the experiment will no doubt stay with him. “It’s helped me remember that space between me and my work is really necessary,” Ramirez said. “I’ve felt empowered and deserving of an extra day off for myself, knowing that my life doesn’t have to revolve around work for me to feel good about myself.”
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