NOW > NEXT > HOW? Making the four-day week a reality in FM

Paul Webb, head of customer insight and education at Joblogic, shares how technology helped Alba Facilities Services reduce working hours without reducing service. 

The theme?

Tech-driven flexibility for the FM workforce.

Where are we now?

In the UK’s 2022 four-day week trial, just 2% of participating companies came from engineering.

Caution has been the prevailing sentiment despite evidence that employee wellbeing and productivity are suffering. Long hours, extensive travel, and rising admin loads drive burnout and high turnover, making it harder to attract skilled engineers. 

The assumption persists: reducing hours means compromising service quality or increasing costs. Yet forward-thinking organisations, such as our client Alba Facilities Services, prove this contradiction can be overcome. 

Where do we go next?

The goal is to create sustainable FM operations where reduced working hours drive, rather than hinder, productivity improvements. This means moving from measuring success by hours worked to focusing on outcomes.

Business leaders must reimagine their entire operational model – from job scheduling and resource allocation to team communication and decision-making processes.

Success looks like engineers enjoying three-day weekends while first-time fix rates increase and top talent comes knocking because you offer genuine work-life balance.

Plus, clients receive better service from motivated teams who actively seek efficiency, and environmental benefits follow as optimised operations reduce unnecessary travel.

How do we get there?

Alba Facilities Services is already seeing its transformation pay dividends – and a big part of that is down to implementing the correct technology for your business and doing it in such a way that maximises its impact. 

• Start with data and research: Before reducing hours, establish comprehensive baseline metrics. Alba Facilities Services partnered with the University of Strathclyde to research proven approaches, ensuring its strategy is evidence-based. You need clear benchmarks to prove success.
• Win hearts and minds: Identify influential employees (not just managers, but respected individuals) who can champion change, and create forums for open communication. Alba Facilities Services introduced daily scrum meetings where teams collaboratively solve problems, replacing top-down directives with collective ownership.
• Focus on eliminating waste: The company’s 15% productivity gain came from systematic improvements: optimising travel routes, ensuring engineers have complete job information, empowering frontline decisions, and improving first-time fix rates through better preparation and training.
• Leverage technology intelligently: Advanced scheduling capabilities and data analytics prove invaluable for identifying inefficiencies. Alba Facilities Services used Power BI dashboards for data-driven decision-making throughout its transformation, integrating with systems like Joblogic for full visibility.
• Communicate transparently with clients: Address concerns proactively. Alba Facilities Services assured customers that coverage and pricing would remain unchanged, positioning the four-day week as evidence of operational excellence.
• Trial, measure, adjust: Alba Facilities Services ran a trial from October 2023 to June 2024, allowing time to gather meaningful data and refine processes. The key is focusing on incremental gains that compound into significant improvements.

Alba’s success shows how cultural shifts allow teams to think differently and find purpose in their work. From streamlining operations to improving work-life balance and cutting emissions, the benefits have been widespread. 

[Originally published in facilitatemagazine]