The ongoing reduction in working hours continues to generate debate worldwide. While several countries are testing the four-day workweek, a British firm is pushing the boundaries even further by allowing its staff to distribute their 32-hour workweek freely — even spreading it across seven days if that suits their needs.
A Workweek Without Fixed Hours
Lumen, a small SEO consultancy located in Cardiff, initially experimented with the four-day workweek. The outcome was positive: employees became happier, productivity improved, and staff turnover dropped to zero.
Buoyed by this success, the company led by Aled Nelmes decided to push the concept further by implementing a 32-hour week with no restriction on which days or at what times the hours must be worked.
Each employee now has the freedom to arrange their own working schedule, provided that performance targets are achieved. The only collective obligation is three hours per week dedicated to team meetings and training sessions to maintain team cohesion and ensure smooth communication.
For Lumen’s CEO, this approach is primarily an expression of trust in his workforce. “I believe we tend to micro-manage our teams too much. There’s a mistaken belief that a specific schedule is the best way to achieve productivity, but everyone’s different,” he explains. This model relies heavily on key attributes like self-discipline, independence, and organizational skills.
It’s not suitable for everyone, and some employees have struggled to adapt to such freedom. However, those who align with the company’s values have found the ideal balance between their professional and personal lives.
A Tailored Daily Schedule
Despite the unprecedented flexibility offered, most employees have maintained a fairly traditional work pattern, simply making occasional adjustments for doctors’ appointments, children’s activities, sports, and similar needs.
Yet others, including one employee noted by Nelmes, choose to work on Sundays because they find it to be a quieter and more focused day. According to the CEO, this flexibility is particularly beneficial for families.
With fewer time constraints, families spend less on childcare, cleaning, and extracurricular activities. “If you allow your employees to be good parents, they will also be good employees,” he declares.
This model is appealing, yet it is not universally applicable. It is designed primarily for service-related jobs that lend themselves to teleworking and objectives-based management, such as consultancy firms, marketing agencies, and tech companies.
In contrast, sectors that require a constant physical presence—like hospitality, construction, or manufacturing—can’t adopt this model. Thus, Lumen offers an example of extreme flexibility that might well reshape the future of work in some companies, provided that the essential choice is made: to trust employees who are capable of autonomy and commitment.
