In fact bosses of Hindley Green-based Belmont and its eCommerce division Boxed-Up say they wish they had made the changes sooner.
Feedback from customers is said to be positive and it has been achieved by extending the working day slightly on the four days they do operate and extending the cut-off time for next-day deliveries from 12pm to 1.45pm.
And employees have been delighted to get a longer weekend, owner Kate Hulley saying that they come back on a Monday “fully charged” and better motivated which has led to improved productivity.
She added: “The response from customers over the last six months has been really positive, the team has adapted really easily and we have worked solutions out for any customer who had urgent requirements on a Friday. You definitely learn by doing!”
Commercial manager Gareth Rollo said: “We are really glad we spent the time listening to our employees and communicating this change before it happened.
"Listening to their thoughts and opinions has been the key to making the four-day week work for us six months on. We now have the office open for longer during the four days by having some of the team start earlier and others come in later.”
Boxed-Up employees are now enjoying spending their Fridays in a variety of ways such as; socialising with friends and family, shopping, being able to do the school-pick ups, and generally doing things they simply didn't have time for before.
Many businesses will worry that shutting down their business every Friday will have a detrimental effect on their business performance.
But Ms Hulley said: “Belmont Packaging and Boxed-Up have proved over the last six months the business has performed extremely successfully under the new four-day working week; with Belmont Packaging opening several large new accounts.
"The company still continues to serve its existing customers to the highest possible standard and receive positive feedback by working smarter.”
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