LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Little Rock based marketing agency, Rock City Digital, is loosely described as the millennial marketing agency. Now, they’re keeping with that and dipping their toes into a new age approach of a four-day work week.
COO of Rock City Digital, Kelli Campbell, said the idea started about a year ago. She and her business partner wanted to find a way to only work four days a week, keeping the same hours every day.
At first it felt like a pipe dream, but after researching the possible benefits they knew they wanted to try it out.
"We're really starting with a stair-step approach," Kelli Campbell COO of Rock City Digital said.
Kelli Campbell calls it Rock City Digital's pilot program. They started last summer with half days every Friday, switching back to five days a week in the fall to do some research.
"When we took that time the rest of the year, we knew that this next summer coming up we would start our half-day Fridays then and then we'd do those forever,” Campbell said. “So, starting in June we'll be four-and-a-half days a week until we can find a little more time in our schedule to go the full four days a week."
Kelli said they are still figuring things out to make the four day work week a reality, but they hope to have it implemented by the end of 2023.
"I really think we can get it there sooner than that,” Campbell said. “Everyone is just really pitching in to find way we can work smarter. So, we think we can utilize things and eliminate Friday's altogether."
Kelli and her business partner Kait Hill said they want to improve their employees' work-life balance. Through research they've found a four-day work week not only does that for current employees, but it also makes the business more appealing to prospective candidates.
"Everybody is struggling with this right now—workforce,” Campbell said. “We're currently looking for a web designer and we know we have to be competitive. A four day work week makes you incredibly competitive in the workforce, there are plenty of people who want a three-day weekend,"
As a marketing agency, Rock City Digital relies heavily on creativity, Kelli says an extra day of rest keeps the juices flowing, on top of a long list of benefits.
"That extra day is going to see profitability stay the same if not increase, revenues increase, retention of employees, but you're also seeing your productivity and creativity increase too,” Campbell said.
While there is skepticism surrounding the idea of shifting into a four-day work week, Kelli advises other employers who are maybe flirting with the idea to see how it will benefit their own employees.
She also said if four days just doesn't work for Rock City Digital they'll simply shift back to five days a week.