Can the four-day week help ease problems that have stemmed from the COVID-19 enforced remote work world? Art Schechtman, CEO of Elephant Ventures, a software engineering and consulting firm that works with B2B companies, is experimenting with that schedule with both the organization’s offices in the United States and in the Philippines. 

The question is “how do we restore work-life balance” when parents must both work at home and proctor hours of distance warning. Under the current situation, “It’s harder to have a clear demarcation between your personal and work life,” he said. 

Schechtman sees the current situation enduring at least eight more months, and his firm, which started working from home in March, gave up its offices on June 12, part of a trend of companies relinquishing office space. 

The plan was to pilot the program this month and continue it in September if it works out with employees voting this month. That is the 21 employees in the United States and 20 in the Philippines.  If adopted, the Philippines will implemented the Monday through Thursday work week.

The four-day week has 10-hour workdays that run  from 7 am through 6 pm for many workers, although some will start as early as 5 am or 6 a.m. depending on the midday schedule needs

Schechtman said firm generally limits hold  meetings to 10 am to noon so that employees can spend the first hours working when they are more likely to be productive. For the experiment to succeed, there cannot be an impact on customers nor can there be an impact on morale.