MIAMI, Fla. — It’s a concept that, in recent years, has started to gain traction.
What if instead of working five, eight-hour days, you worked four days a week? Even three?
Congressional leaders this year were entertaining the idea of making this more common.
But in Florida, several companies are already applying the new concept.
In the heart of suburban Miami, Florida, there’s a Chick-Fil-A that looks like any other.
But that’s where you are wrong.
“I was just trying to do something a little unique a little different,” said the owner and operator, Justin Lindsey.
Lindsey’s Miami-based chain restaurant has something others don’t: a 3-day work week.
“The model came as a way of how can I better care for them. How can I give them that time, that freedom to get that time back in their lives, where right now they were working a 5-day work week, like it was a long week,” explained Lindsey.
The model has been in place since February of last year at the specific store.
How it works is that roughly 170 employees are separated into two pods. One pod works Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, while the other works Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
After two weeks, the pods switch schedules and continue the pattern year-round.
While the 13-hour days are long for part-time students and full-time workers like Chad Brewer, the philosophy just makes sense.
“I thought having the time off after that would be extremely beneficial not just with my school, but also it would give me time to travel, spend time with my family,” explained Brewer.
He furthered, “It would just be a wonderful opportunity to have some time to myself as well.”
Lindsay said employees can take as many breaks as needed.
And the focus has changed for the company, from less focus on clocking in and out to more value on output.
“My primary objective was just, is my business being taken care of and run, and am I doing what I can to take care of my team?” asks Lindsey rhetorically.
It’s that same mentality that owner Jake Kurtz of Brick Media in Tampa adopted.
At the start of this year, his small social media agency decided to test out a four-day workweek.
“We have actually gained a lot of clients,” said Kurtz.
With a smile, he continued, “I think because of the exposure we got, and I think it positions our company as a forward-thinking company that’s really paying attention to the employees' satisfaction, and I think subconsciously, people know that if you are taking care of your team, they are going to be happy to work there, and then the client is going to get good work as a result.”
After three months, Kurtz decided to make the 4-day work week permanent.
He said it’s even helped overall company mechanics, “Maybe a 30-minute meeting doesn’t really have to be 30. Maybe it can be 15. Maybe there’s something you are doing every day that’s kind of a waste of time that you don’t need to be doing it.”
Kurtz continued, “So I think if anything, it’s just making us a little bit smarter when we actually are working, and it’s increasing the productivity when we are actually working.”
And back south, the three-day work week has helped this specific store remain at number one for the chain in the state of Florida and the fourth highest-grossing location in the country.
Lindsey said profitability went up 86% from the previous year. So far this year, they are at 37% in profitability and up 10% in sales.
“From a numbers standpoint, it’s been pretty dramatic just to see the performance,” shared Lindsey.
Walking around his busy chain, he said, “One of the things we were told after we first opened was that traditionally with Chick Fil A grand opening, they said eventually you are going to see the sales kind of drop.”
With a laugh, he furthered, “But what was interesting was when we started implementing this, it did the opposite, like our sales climbed.”
But even with all of the success and positive reactions, are these really models that could work for other businesses?
“It doesn’t work for everyone,” said Lindsey matter of fact.
“I think that’s what I have been trying to say from the beginning is that with these things I think it really just depends on the person. It depends on the stage of life that they are in at that stage and time, and for our team, interestingly enough, they wanted it. Like they wanted it even before I rolled it out.”
Lindsey said for those looking to implement a similar work concept, make sure it’s something your company eases into, talk it out with employees and make sure everyone is on board and up to speed.
As for what’s next for this store that pushes out hundreds of chicken nuggets and burgers a day.
Well, according to Lindsey, the sky’s the limit.
“We have given them the gift of time, which to me is the most precious gift that you could possibly get, and now we are giving them the gift of opportunity, of like hey grow, and move onto that next chapter in life. And we have all these people who are waiting in the wings who are also in the pod system, who are also ready to grow, so it’s been exciting to watch.”
