Safeguard Global CEO’s four-day workweek experiment failed for some employees, prompts shift to optional flexibility
Topic: businessRegion: north americaUpdated: i1 outletsSources: 2Spectrum: Center OnlyFiltered: Global (0/1)· Clear⏱ 1 min read
Story Summary
SITUATION
Safeguard Global ended its mandated four-day workweek after employees compressed hours Monday–Thursday and some secretly worked on Fridays, which caused burnout and left some employees feeling they fell behind. CEO Bjorn Reynolds replaced the mandate with a "freedom and choice" policy letting roughly 1,000 remote employees in 78 countries choose their hours and days.
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KEY FACTS
- Bjorn Reynolds is CEO and Founder of Safeguard Global, which has a nearly 1,000-person workforce across 60+ countries.
- Other employees found the requirement that everybody work the same four days restrictive and not truly flexible.
- Employees compressed hours Monday–Thursday and some secretly worked on Fridays, which caused burnout and left some employees feeling they fell behind.
- CEO Bjorn Reynolds said the four-day mandate "was not the culture we wanted to create."
- Safeguard Global ended the mandated Monday–Thursday schedule and moved to a "freedom and choice" policy.
- The initiative confirmed the company belief that people should be measured by delivery rather than hours worked.
- The pilot's stated goal was to help recruitment and retention, according to Bjorn Reynolds.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
Brief
Safeguard Global ended its mandated four-day workweek after employees compressed hours Monday–Thursday and some secretly worked on Fridays, which led to burnout and some employees feeling they were falling behind. The company replaced the mandate with a "freedom and choice" policy allowing roughly 1,000 remote employees in 78 countries to choose their hours and days.
Sources
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