January 22, 2019
Beelineweb Becomes First Canadian Firm to Undertake 4-Day, 32-Hour Workweek (With No Pay Cuts)
Long weekends are the new normal for all employees at this award-winning company
Lake Country, British Columbia—Beelineweb, a boutique provider of online marketing services, has made 20-percent shorter workweeks the new standard for every employee. After testing the concept four times over the past four years, the company is moving forward with three-day weekends. Starting this year, every staff member now works eight-hour days, from Monday through Thursday, while still receiving a full salary and benefits.
"It's a win-win-win situation for our employees, our clients, and the company," said Lauren Gaglardi, president and co-founder of Beelineweb. "By shortening the workweek, our amazing team has adequate time for rest, recovery, family, and personal hobbies, which translates to better focus and happiness on the job. It means our productivity stays high, our clients benefit from our very best work, and we reduce the company's environmental footprint."
For several decades, various economists have predicted that a 32-hour workweek would eventually become the new standard. But even though overall productivity has continued to rise, those predictions have failed to come true. The 40-hour workweek has mostly gone unchallenged.
"We think the time is right to question the legitimacy of the status quo," said Ched Gaglardi, the CEO and other co-founder of Beelineweb. "We and other employers around the world are beginning to demonstrate that the traditional five-day workweek isn't necessarily the most effective arrangement anymore."
Beelineweb began testing shorter workweeks in 2014. During an initial four-month test, the company learned a lot about the benefits and challenges of the unconventional schedule. For instance, employees were more enthusiastic on Monday mornings and maintained a more consistent level of productivity throughout each four-day workweek. But when it came to reaching certain goals at the time, the company didn't make all the progress it had hoped to. Undeterred, Beelineweb refined its approach and conducted shorter tests of the concept in 2016, 2017, and 2018.
Thanks to those additional trial runs, the company has discovered that a four-day, 32-hour workweek can help drive sustainable success for everyone involved. For example, some of the benefits include:
- Better concentration, creativity, and general awareness at work
- Less worry about cramming weekends or weeknights full of errands
- More time to pursue healthy lifestyle choices
- Better personal and professional relationships
- Greater freedom to enjoy favorite pastimes
- More opportunities to read and learn new skills
- Heightened eagerness and ability to serve clients
- Lower electricity costs for the company
Beelineweb has always defined success not only as great service and results for clients, but also good health, happiness, and well-being for employees. The 32-hour workweek makes those goals even more achievable. It's an idea whose time has come.
About Beelineweb
Celebrating 20 years in business, Beelineweb is an award-winning company specializing in ethical online marketing and search engine optimization (SEO). Based in Lake Country, British Columbia, the company generates exclusive, high-quality leads for hundreds of clients throughout Canada and the United States using only websites that it owns and operates. Beelineweb also strives to be a progressive employer, community supporter, and steward of the environment. Among other benefits, employees receive paid fitness breaks. And the company's office building was specially designed and constructed for high energy efficiency, low environmental impact, and staff health and well-being. For more information, please visit www.beelineweb.com.