With Covid turning the world upside down a couple of years into my working life, I would say that I’m fairly used to huge shifts in the way we work. That didn’t mean that I wasn’t left speechless when the recruiter mentioned the 4 day working week. I’m a big mouth and even I was stuck for words.
A Business Development role where you were expected to work less hours, not more for the same pay?
It didn’t sound quite right.
Naturally, I had questions. How does the pipeline stay full? Do you just lose a day of meetings? Or is it a trick? 4 days on paper but still expected to be available on Fridays?
Spoiler: it’s not a trick. It’s just... trust.
Trust that people want to do great work and not just be seen to do great work. Trust that output matters more than hours sat at a desk. And trust that giving people back their time might actually make them better at their jobs, not worse.
Has it been an adjustment? Definitely.
But not in the way I expected. The real shift hasn’t been in productivity, it’s been in mindset. You become ruthless with your time. Focused. You learn to shut down distractions, book shorter meetings, say no more often.
The shift in how we work as a team has been clear and with the exciting brands we work with, speed is everything. Being together means we make faster decisions, act on opportunities in real time, and stay on top of shifting client needs without the lag.
When I see how well the team reacts to the needs of our longest standing client Sherwin-Williams, I can see why we’ve worked together for so long.
There’s a rhythm to the office that you just don’t get remotely.
From experience at other agencies, Principles is ‘top-heavy’ in the sense that we have a lean team of very experienced staff. When we take on Junior team members, they pick things up just by sitting near more experienced ones, learning through osmosis, not another training module.
Campaign ideas sharpen in minutes over coffee, not days over email.
The energy, the banter and the urgency fuels results.
Personally?! The 4 day week has made a bigger difference to my life than I expected.
My fiancée also has a demanding job, so being able to get the errands and housework done on a Monday means our weekends are actually ours. We’re not spending Sunday afternoon doing admin — we’re switching off properly.
It also opened up space midweek. Space I didn’t even realise I needed. I’ve got the energy to see mates on a Wednesday night without feeling like I’m crawling to the end of the week. I’m networking more too, because I’ve got more in the tank. When your time isn’t constantly under pressure, you show up differently, more present, more open, more you.
The only thing I promised myself I’d do but haven’t quite nailed?
Getting back in the gym.
