Ryan Carson of Portland tech company Treehouse works 32 hours weekly, resulting in a four day workweek. His unique work schedule prioritizes his family above all, forcing him to optimize his work habits. “I’ve really tried to engineer a sustainable life,” he says in this Washington Post article.
You might be wondering how a four day work week could even be possible. According to the article, Carson works to be intensely focused when he is at work, starts his day early, has eliminated email and most interruptions, and encourages his whole team to break for lunch together daily.
Though perhaps seemingly impossible to most, Carson eliminated email at Treehouse. Instead, he implemented a web forum his employees use to communicate and foster collaboration on projects.
Carson’s example is just one of many stories we hear in the business world in regards to work life balance and healthy workplace culture. Just last week, the Japanese government announced it may make paid vacation mandatory, further proving that cultures outside of the United States are also adopting this way of thinking and prioritizing employees’ well being.
Several months ago, we interviewed Tim Winner, the VP of People at Metal Toad Media, on this subject. Among the topics we covered was unlimited vacation as a means to develop people and the culture.
What do you think? Is a short but focused work week is possible in your workplace? How else does your company encourage work-life balance as a means to developing the company culture? Tell us here in the comments, or Tweet at us!
Commentary – Short Work Weeks, Unlimited Vacation, and More
