EDRi is trialling the four-day working week
Starting from 1 July, the EDRi office in Brussels will begin a trial of working time reduction until the end of the year. The pilot foresees that all full-time staff members will work 32 hours over four days per week (Monday to Thursday) while maintaining salaries at the same level. The pilot will run from July to the end of December, followed by an evaluation to explore a shift to the 4-day week.
Starting from 1 July, the EDRi office in Brussels will begin a trial of working time reduction until the end of the year. The pilot foresees that all full-time staff members will work 32 hours over four days per week (Monday to Thursday) while maintaining salaries at the same level. The pilot will run from July to the end of December, followed by an evaluation to explore a shift to the 4-day week.
“I am glad that the EDRi staff has received the trust and confidence of the EDRi Board and the broader community to run this pilot, adjust, evaluate and iterate. While proven beneficiary for us and our work, civil society organisations in Brussels still rarely explore the reduction of working time at the same salary. We hope our pilot will encourage more organisations to take the leap.”
How did we get here?
In the context of the multiplication of digital policy initiatives to cover and the increasing scope of the impact of technologies on people’s lives, there is increasing pressure on the EDRi staff and members. We remain in a privileged position to carry on our work and be able to run this pilot. We recognise that many of our partners in Europe and beyond face hardship and attacks. By reducing our working time, we aim to improve the mental and physical health of the EDRi staff and enable a better balance between paid and unpaid labour, especially for staff with caring responsibilities.
The 4-day week should also support recuperation for staff with marginalised identity sharing their expertise and knowledge relating to their lived experience for organisational development and learning.
We have seen positive feedback from organisations in the digital rights field, like EDRi partner Digital Freedom Fund, and civil society organisations in Brussels like Zero Waste Europe. Pilot programmes in Ireland and the UK have also shown positive results. Organisations that are currently experimenting with a 4-day working week, have reported that the reduced working time has improved staff’s well-being, work productivity, and decreased stress levels. These organisations have seen that the 4-day working week makes people feel more energised, efficient, empowered and motivated. It also enables the organisation to improve workload prioritisation and objectives deliverables.
What does that mean for our work?
The pilot will include regular check-ins with the staff to monitor workload, and discussions with the Board to evaluate progress on workload and overall outcomes. In February 2024, EDRi will assess the implications would be if EDRi would implement a long-lasting reduction of working time based on staff consultation and legal research.
The EDRi team and network will continue to advocate for the protection and advancement of everyone’s digital rights by ensuring that Big Tech and state powers are held to account. We welcome any feedback about the pilot, organisational development and of course how to champion digital rights in the age of surveillance.