How CEOs Can Switch to a 4 Day Work Week
Be more productive. Achieve a better work-life balance. The four day work week really works for CEOs—and yes, it’s possible.
Imagine the feeling of a long weekend.
Now, imagine you had that feeling every single week throughout the year.
There has been a lot of chat around the idea of a 4 day work week, especially recently with the appointment of Finland’s new Prime Minister, Sanna Marin, who, before becoming PM, showed her support for this shift.
By the looks of things, it could be the not-so-distant future of work—even for CEOs.
What are the benefits of a 4 day work week for CEOs?
The benefits a 4 day work week can bring your business aside (like retained talent and a more productive team), let’s talk about what a 4 day work week can do for you, the founder.
A 4 day work week can make you happier
We’re all striving for work-life balance.
For CEOs—and anyone, really—it’s our Everest (read: bloody hard.)
However, with a 4 day work week, it doesn’t have to be.
Think of it this way: when you switch to a 4 day work week, you jump from 28.5% of your week out-of-office to 42.8%—that’s huge.
According to a study by Henley Business School, 77% said a four-day week improved their quality of life.
With regular time off, you can focus on your wellbeing, avoid burnout, spend consistent, quality time with your friends and family, and maybe even pick up a hobby again (remember those?).
And for many leaders, this becomes far more achievable when supported by flexible admin support or on-demand executive assistants who reduce day-to-day pressure.
A 4 day work week can increase your productivity
Why is it that when you have a tight deadline, you’re able to squeeze more work into your day?
Something happens to our brains when there’s urgency—we sharpen our focus to just get sh*t done.
Across the board, if you and your team have less time each week to complete everything, there will be less procrastination, fewer unnecessary meetings and more productive work.
In Summer 2019, Microsoft Japan tested the 4 day work week and productivity jumped by 40%—wowza.
Pair that with outsourced admin, task-based support services, or a productivity-focused assistant, and you remove even more friction from your working week.
A 4 day work week means real time off
Okay, admit it—how many of you CEOs have responded to emails on holiday?
The truth is, it’s hard for founders to switch off when their team is still in the office.
Someone either needs you to answer a quick question (x12), or there’s that little voice in your head that says “what if?”
With a 4 day work week, everyone is out-of-office—meaning you can properly switch off.
And with the right reliable admin support service or dedicated virtual assistant, things can still run smoothly behind the scenes.
More time to do the things you love
(Which, let’s be honest, is kind of the whole point.)
So, how can a CEO switch to a 4 day work week?
A study showed that CEOs work, on average, around 62.5 hours a week—which, split across 4 days, would mean brain-melting 15-hour shifts.
Let’s not go there.
Instead, there are a few options you could take:
Hire an executive or personal assistant
Run your business at a slower pace
Hire more senior people in your team
Restructure efficiencies
Train your current support team
Outsource your tasks
How a virtual assistant can help a CEO switch to a 4 day work week
No matter which route you take, there’s a virtual assistant for that—more specifically, an Hive Minds expert.
We’re a team of predominantly ex-PAs and support staff, which means we provide experienced EA support, high-level business support, and flexible, scalable admin services.
Here’s how we can help…
Hire an executive or personal assistant
How a virtual assistant can help:
Recruitment is a process—a time-consuming one.
An Hive Minds expert can support with writing job descriptions, screening CVs and arranging interviews.
In the meantime, you’ll still have access to on-demand executive assistant support to manage workload before your permanent hire starts.
Run your business at a slower pace
Even in business, slow can be a good thing.
The challenge is making that transition.
Introducing a 4 day work week is a big operational shift—but a virtual assistant can support with planning, coordination and implementation, acting as flexible team support while you adjust.
Hire more senior people in your team
A virtual assistant can support with recruitment—but also with onboarding.
From preparing materials to coordinating schedules, they provide project-based EA support to ensure your new hires hit the ground running.
Restructure the efficiencies of your business
How efficient is your business?
Are there outdated processes? Could automation help?
A tech-savvy virtual assistant or AI-enabled executive assistant can research tools, map processes and help implement more efficient ways of working.
Train your current support team
An efficient support team makes an efficient business.
A virtual assistant can:
Manage diaries
Coordinate training
Pick up day-to-day tasks
This ensures your business keeps moving while your team develops.
Outsource your tasks to a virtual assistant
If your business isn’t in a position to hire, this is where outsourcing admin without hiring becomes powerful.
With Hive Minds, you get:
Pay-as-you-go EA support
No contract virtual assistant services
Flexible, scalable admin support
A virtual assistant can take care of inbox management, travel, finance, admin and meeting prep—freeing up your time to focus on what only you can do.
On average, this can save you 2–3 hours a day—which makes the 4 day work week far more realistic.
Ready to make the switch?
If you’re looking to work smarter, reduce hours, and still grow your business, the key isn’t doing more—it’s having the right support.
With on-demand executive assistants, premium virtual assistant services, and flexible admin support, you can start building a working week that actually works for you.
Get in touch to meet your virtual assistant.