Starting on Jan 1, 2023, Aptitude Digital will be moving to a 4-day work week.
When we started the company back in 2005 we made a promise, no grey cubicles, no florescent lights, and work-life balance was the golden rule. For the most part we have kept to those ideals – our storage closet has a florescent light.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have been mainly working from home – and that has been a positive change for productivity. During that time, we have been researching the concept of a 4-day work week. It seemed like the logical next step to us. Research has shown so many measurable benefits including a significant increase in productivity.
This past fall we had a series of short work weeks; Labour Day, Truth and Reconciliation Day and the Queen’s funeral. This provided us a natural test and we watched closely. We’ve double down on our sprint planning using industry standard approaches to give it the best chance at success. Study after study shows that having a 3-day weekend reduces stress and with reduced stress we can focus better and be more effective. This is exactly what we saw in September.
The work we do at Aptitude is complex, requiring creativity and focus. Having sufficient time to recharge and give attention to your personal life contributes to a positive work experience. The small things like groceries, oil changes and haircuts add up – they start to weigh on our minds, creating stress. We’re offering this extra day to work on the most important project – life.
Working collaboratively with our staff we came up with our unique approach. To be clear – this is not a compressed work week. The evidence shows that reduced working hours equals reduced stress fatigue and increased productivity. There are details and nuisances to work out like how our availability affects our clients is a big question. Our plan is to have full coverage by pairing people up - one senior developer takes Friday off the other takes Monday, the same for the partners and so on. There is some work to be done, together as a team we will evaluate and adjust on an ongoing basis.
This is not a cultural shift for Aptitude – we have always placed more value on productivity than hours worked. This opportunity will strengthen Aptitude as a market-leader, enrich our staff’s lives and fuel the dedication to our clients.
Bill and Chris
Aptitude is currently looking to expand our team. Check out current opportunities on our careers page.