Who’s really using AI, how one firm is making the four-day week work and funding for rehab benefits in the latest Forbes Future of Work newsletter, which is published and delivered each Monday.' Future of Work newsletter, which offers the latest news for chief human resources officers and other talent managers on disruptive technologies, managing the workforce and trends in the remote work debate.
Of course, Exos’ four-day week pilot helps highlight the company’s approach to well-being coaching, which promotes the idea of employees taking time for “strategic recovery”—whether for their bodies or their minds—when trying to improve their fitness or leadership skills. “Organizations started realizing we can’t fix our workplace issues if I don’t fix my people,” says Exos Chief People Officer Greg Hill. “The idea is bringing recovery into the organization through flexibility.
Meanwhile, they report seeing a 34-point reduction in the percentage of employees who felt burnout at least some of the time, falling from 70% before the pilot to 36% after. Hill says Exos has been able to make the four-day week arrangement work by focusing on “readiness” in their culture and taking intentional breaks. Exos encouraged “microbreaks” by limiting meetings to 25 or 50 minutes, and worked on improving meeting agendas and goals to boost efficiency. It also pushed for Tuesdays and Thursdays to be dedicated to meetings, while gearing Mondays and Wednesdays to individual work to help people avoid the “task switching” that can slow productivity.