{
  "id": 8081401,
  "title": "A CEO tried a four-day week—but stopped after employees were secretly working Fridays",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/a-ceo-tried-a-four-day-week-but-stopped-after-employees-were-secretly",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-17T18:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fast Company",
    "slug": "fast-company",
    "url": "https://www.fastcompany.com/91608991/a-ceo-tried-a-four-day-week-but-stopped-after-employees-were-secretly-working-fridays"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In 2023, workforce management company Safeguard Global implemented a four-day workweek in Austin with the aim of enhancing recruitment and retention. However, the experiment faced issues as some employees worked late to make up for Friday as an off day. Others secretly used Friday to catch up on work, while some adhering strictly to the four-day schedule felt they were falling behind. Safeguard Global CEO Bjorn Reynolds stated that it was \"not the culture we wanted to create.\"\n\nIn response, Safeguard Global has since adopted an approach where its approximately 1,000 employees can choose their own working hours and days. Reynolds described this as fostering a \"culture of freedom and choice.\" He suggested that workers should choose the hours that best suit the required work product, whether that's four or five days.\n\nThe four-day workweek has become a serious workplace experiment in recent years, joining other controversial topics like return-to-office policies and flexible work arrangements. Supporters highlight potential benefits such as improved employee well-being, increased productivity, and better tech adoption. Numerous companies in the US and Europe have experimented with shorter workweeks, many continuing the arrangement after the initial trial.\n\nThe popularity of the four-day workweek is particularly strong among Gen Z workers, and it has started to gain traction with policymakers. However, the jury is still out on whether it truly replaces the five-day workweek in the United States. Safeguard Global's experiment, which led to the company's pivot, suggests that the effectiveness of such a model is still uncertain. Reynolds now believes that managers should prioritize outcomes over hours. The company uses three performance metrics, varying by role, to monitor employee productivity and ensure alignment with broader organizational goals. Managers can identify potential areas for improvement using these metrics, such as addressing customer tickets more efficiently or answering them in a timely manner.",
  "summary": "When Austin-based workforce management company Safeguard Global piloted a four-day workweek in 2023, the goal was to improve recruitment and retention. After initially looking like a success , however, the experiment ran into problems. Some employees often worked late to preserve Friday as an off day. Others used Friday to secretly catch up on work. And some who strictly adhered to a four-day…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}