The Imaging Centre’s staff room for manoeuvre

Staff at The Imaging Centre work a four-day week, Monday to Thursday with a limited number of people continuing to work on more conventional five-day pattern.

The step came about when somebody scrawled ‘four day week’ on the whiteboard that is used to collect ideas from staff. “At first we thought ‘No way’,” says operations director Jessica Short. But after that reflex response, the directors looked at it. It would improve work life balance and with a switch from five eight-hour days to four ten-hour shifts, there would be no loss of production. Indeed with production completed in four days, the day ahead of the weekend can be used to ensure dispatch of late running jobs on time. 

There are savings on energy from not running machines every day, indeed with some needing an hour to warm up each day there is a gain in press availability each week.

It doesn’t suit everyone, she adds. “But as a business we get more productivity and we are saving on energy.”