In this article you will know how he got Stephan Aarstol increase the productivity of your employees by changing their working hours.
If technology allows us to send emails at 2am; attend online meetings from anywhere in the world; create, share and store files in the cloud; and know production and sales results through specialized software, why do we have to comply with boring schedules from 8 to 5?
I think we have all asked ourselves this question at some point. Perhaps at the time of the industrial revolution, the presence of the employee was essential in the workplace.
However, in the age of information and knowledge, the internet has given us the possibility of being present virtually and we are even able to work at any time of the day without limiting hours.
Also read: The best time in history to create a company is today.
Despite all these changes, workers continue to get up every morning to face the traffic of their cities to stay in an office for 8 hours. Even more if it is considered “necessary”.
This is how it goes every day, hoping that the weekend will arrive. What a sad truth? This is stated by Stephan Aarstol, CEO and founder of Tower Paddle Boards.
Aarstol decided to make some drastic changes to their company: Tower Paddle Boards
The company is dedicated to the production and distribution of stand-up paddle boards. Therefore, he thought that a 5-hour working day would be extraordinary to free up the afternoons of his employees; and thus, encourage them to live the beach lifestyle that the brand promotes so much.
Also read: No more to the 8-hour workday.
What was Stephan Aarstol’s change in workday?
Stephan Aarstol decided to implement a work schedule of 8am to 1pm. Eliminating the lunch hour, cutting the normal schedule by 2 hours and without reducing wages.
Can you imagine being free every day at 1pm to do whatever you want?
A common boss would think that reducing the working day would generate negative results due to the fact of working less. However, Aarstol proves otherwise.
After taking this measure, his company was ranked the fastest growing in San Diego. Additionally, his team of 9 employees currently generates $9 million in revenue.
I am giving my employees the opportunity to have a better lifestyle than any other employee, however the question is, what do we need to do to be just as productive?
To answer this question, Aarstol asserts that in a 8 to 10 hour schedule, most employees actually use 3 hours to do their work. With no time constraints, people become lazy.
How did you implement the change?
To make sure he didn’t make a mistake with this maneuver, Stephan Aarstol integrated the new schedules as a summer program; creating the expectation of returning to normal hours at the end of the season.
A 40% increase in revenue proved that his strategy was a success.
Additionally, Aarstol states that although this strategy cannot be applied to some jobs, it does apply to the vast majority of knowledge and information employees; suggesting the following steps to make working less time work for anyone.
What should you keep in mind if you want to do the same?
From now on the 80-20 rule applies, which is based on the recognized Pareto principle.
This principle states that 80% of the results come from 20% of the efforts. If you identify those activities that generate 80% of the results; you will be able to eliminate the others.
Also read: According to science, working from home makes you more productive.
Additionally, it is necessary to communicate to clients when the company is available to them. Although this was one of the great fears, since it was thought that the quality of customer service would be affected, nothing changed. Being available 24 hours is not necessary.
Another important element to increase productivity is the use of technology to streamline processes that can be automated.
The use of email marketing and the creation of video tutorials so that clients could resolve their doubts on their own; they were vital to mechanize unnecessary processes.
Finally, the freedom that this new strategy gives employees also gives them the power to decide when they want to work more. In this way, without being an obligation, some do it just to be better at their job.
“Moving my employees to a 5-hour day was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made, but today they are happier and more productive.” Stephan Aarstol.
And remember, if you are really interested in creating your own business, you can read our book “How to create a company while working: Discover how to manage your time, manage your money and motivate yourself while creating a company and working for another” , where you will find all the information you need to found your own company, without having to leave your job.
