Just over eight weeks ago, Brevity began their 4 Day Week pilot. As the team discussed how they would increase their productivity, they also chatted about what they’d do with their non-work days. The idea of having a day out of the office during the week was new and tantalising - the options for how they could spend it were many!

It didn’t take long before the group started talking about the good that could come from this extra day, and so as a group they decided to use some of their time for charity – to pay forward their good fortune.

Bernadine Philips spent a morning making 900 lunches for school kids at Eat My Lunch and loved it! She says “I loved the fun team spirit of the experience. Everyone found a station and got stuck in. Even though it was an early 6am start, knowing hundreds of children were going to eat lunch that day made it worth getting out of bed early for.”

Sury took a more organic route and posted an offer of help on his Facebook community page. It worked! He immediately had requests for help and was fully booked within a couple of hours of making the offer. He says “At the end of the day, I felt a sense of content that I could make a difference, no matter how small.”

Georgia volunteered at her mum’s school. She spent the day in the classroom creating resources for some new reading books that had been given to the school, putting artwork on walls and helping set up her mum’s computer system. Georgia’s IT and organisational skills were put to good use, setting up new ways for her mum to work, making a longer term impact than just the one day of help.

Irina also helped out with her daughter’s production, Blood Brothers. She regularly helps out, but with the day off she was able to give more time and help with the buffet and cleaning of the theatre after the two weeks of performances.

Many of the staff have said that the time away from the office allowed them to contribute to their community in a meaningful way. It benefited others, but also helped their own mental health. Getting away from the office and doing something completely different brought a new clarity to their work on their return, and they came back feeling energised and enthusiastic.

If you’d like to find out more about Brevity’s four day week trial, you can follow us on LinkedIn for regular updates or contact Ceinwen McNeil at ceinwen.mcneil@bvtengineering.com for a one-to-one chat. We are super excited about the pilot and are very happy to share our learning and experience.

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