Mitch Erlacher, the location manager of Stinnett’s Auto Body in Maryville, TN, implemented a four-day workweek in April 2023 after hearing about it in the media.
“I wanted to create more work-life balance and use it as a recruiting and retention tool,” he explained. “I was also hoping it would help with employee engagement.”
After putting the new structure in place, Erlacher found cycle time had increased, CSI decreased and the business wasn’t running efficiently with the change. In addition, employees were frustrated with the shift.
Ultimately, they decided to revert to the five-day workweek on Jan. 1, 2024.
“Although we are back to the original schedule, we believe the four-day workweek can work,” said Erlacher.
He attributes some of the challenges to opening a new building at the same time as making the change, implementing unlimited personal time off, and not having solid processes in place.
“You need a solid execution strategy,” said Erlacher. “This includes daily management and having a plan to manage the hours produced per tech.”
For shops considering implementing a four-day workweek, Erlacher recommends having regular conversations with team members to determine how it is working and not working and making changes accordingly.
Stacey Phillips Ronak