Reflections on Our Journey to a 4-Day Work Week

Back in March, we embarked on an ambitious journey—one that fundamentally challenged the traditional work model many of us have been accustomed to. We transitioned to a 4-day, 32-hour work week (4DWW) with the hope of enhancing work-life balance, reducing burnout, and maintaining our commitment to protecting British Columbia’s wilderness. As promised, we’re sharing an update with our supporters and community on how this experiment is unfolding. Today, as we reach the end of our pilot, we’re excited to share the impact this change has had on our team and the insights we’ve gained along the way.

A Breath of Fresh Air: Positive Impacts So Far

The results from our midpoint evaluation have been nothing short of encouraging. Since the pilot’s inception, we’ve seen significant improvements in several key areas:

• Work-Life Balance: Our team’s work-life balance has improved significantly. The extra day off has provided more time for personal activities, health, and spending time with loved ones. Sarah, for instance, has found more quality time with her family, reconnecting with what matters most.
• Reduced Burnout: The shift has also led to a significant reduction in feelings of burnout. Staff are returning to work refreshed and more focused, which has been instrumental in enhancing overall job performance. Max spent one of the Fridays, instead of sitting behind a desk, watching a family of badgers play, reinforcing his passion for conservation.
• Maintaining Effectiveness: Despite the shorter work week, our team’s effectiveness remains strong. Staff’s rating for CPAWS-BC as an effective organization increased, and job performance ratings also saw a slight uptick.
• Health and Well-being: We’ve also noticed improvements in physical health and opportunities for recreation and leisure, contributing to significant long-term benefits for our people and our organization.

Celebrating Conservation Wins

While we’ve been focusing on work-life balance and team well-being, we haven’t lost sight of our core mission—conservation. In fact, the past few months have been marked by some incredible conservation wins including:

• Biggest Park Expansion in Over a Decade: We’re proud to have been part of the effort leading to the largest BC parks expansion in over a decade, which will protect critical habitat for the southern mountain caribou. This expansion is a major victory for biodiversity and a testament to the power of collaborative conservation efforts. Read more about this milestone here.
• A New Marine Protected Area: We’ve also been instrumental in the announcement of a new Marine Protected Area (MPA) off the coast of BC, which is four times the size of Vancouver Island. This new MPA is a groundbreaking step forward in safeguarding vital marine ecosystems and ensuring the health of our oceans for future generations. Learn more about this significant achievement here.
• Successful Campaigns: Beyond these major milestones, several of our conservation campaigns have seen significant progress. Our ability to engage in deep, focused work during the shortened week has played a key role in these successes.

These wins are a testament to the dedication and passion of our team, proving that even with a shorter work week, we can achieve great things for the environment and our communities.

Challenges and Collaborative Solutions

While the overall sentiment has been positive, we’ve also faced some challenges particularly during shortened weeks where additional office closures due to holidays or absences have made it difficult for some to manage workloads. Professional development, especially our ongoing Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) efforts, has been more challenging to prioritize within the compressed schedule.

In response, we’ve made a few immediate adjustments, such as revising our guidelines around off-hours communication and time-in-lieu management. We’re also considering further solutions, like more flexible working hours and specific, protected time slots for professional development and JEDI learning. These adjustments will help us address the challenges while staying true to our commitment to a 32-hour work week.

Looking Forward: A Shared Vision

As we continue our journey, we remain committed to listening, learning, and adapting. The next few months will be crucial as we wrap up the pilot in September and conduct a comprehensive evaluation. Our goal is to present thoughtful recommendations to our board on how to move forward together in a way that balances team well-being with our mission and commitment to biodiversity and effective conservation.

We promised to keep our supporters and community informed, and we’re thankful for your ongoing interest and encouragement. If you have thoughts on our 4DWW pilot, or if you’d like to get involved in our latest conservation campaigns, we invite you to reach out—we’d love to hear from you. Together, we can continue to push boundaries and make a lasting impact on our beautiful province.

We’ll be sharing our final recommendations and decisions regarding the future of the 4DWW later this year. Until then, we remain optimistic and committed to finding the best balance for our team and our mission.

Thank you for being part of this journey with us. We look forward to continuing to share our progress with you.