At One Good* Day team wellbeing is the bedrock of the organisation. We strive for a nurturing workplace that prioritises health, happiness, and personal growth for our team. This conviction supports the culture we strive for and enables our mission to deliver exceptional services to those we support.
Last year we introduced a new option for our dedicated team – the four-day work week for NDIS Recovery Coaches. This provision allows One Good* Day full-time Recovery Coaches to consider condensing their regular full-time hours into four days instead of the traditional five. For those already working four standard days, they can consider switching to full time hours while maintaining the flexibility of an extra day off a week.
We acknowledge that certain versions of the four-day work week aim to reduce overall weekly work hours. However, under our current NDIS funding model we believe every hour paid to our team should be delivering maximum value to NDIS participants, so this model of condensing the same hours into less days is what works best for us.
It’s been a while since the introduction of our four-day work week for NDIS Recovery Coaches, so we thought now was a good time to reflect on some of the enriching experiences and overall impacts for those took up this option and decided to give a new pattern to the week a go.
Breathing space for personal growth
The flexibility of a four-day work week has allowed some of the team to dedicate an extra day each week to their personal pursuits.
As one of our brilliant Recovery Coaches, Rufino, highlights, “Having an extra day has allowed me the time to devote a guilt-free day entirely to ‘me’ and my personal projects, that I could never find the time for in the past, whether it be a whole day at the cinema, reading a book or simply enjoying the sunshine in the garden. I now approach both the weekend and the work week with a totally different mindset.”
A boost to balance
Our four-day work week initiative has helped some of the team to tip the scales towards a healthier life balance.
The extra day off has enabled quality time with loved ones, more leisure activities, or just more that good stuff, relaxation. Jess, a star Recovery Coach who has transitioned to the four-day work week, told us, “With the additional day off, I’ve noticed a huge improvement in my mental health and stress levels. It has given me the opportunity to regularly engage in activities that boost my wellbeing and are otherwise priceless.”
Heartier health
The additional day off has had a transformative effect on our team members’ physical well-being. It’s not just about having more free time; it’s about the quality of that time.
The reshuffle of hours resulting in an extra day has empowered many to prioritise the physical activities they love but often felt too rushed or too tired to pursue during a conventional work week. Whether it’s kick-starting their morning with yoga, enjoying a midday run, or winding down with a late afternoon swim, the four-day-work-weekers are now able to incorporate more physical activity into their schedule.
More morale and merrier mood
Whether it’s due to the cumulative effect of these factors or something else entirely, our four-day work week adopters report a tangible lift in morale and overall positivity. Bas, another champion Recovery Coach who has taken up the four-day work week, summed up the good vibes by sharing, “Knowing our organisation values work-life balance increases a sense of belonging. It’s nice to be heard and now everything feels manageable and sustainable”.
Final reflections on the benefits of the four-day work week for NDIS Recovery Coaches
At One Good* Day, our commitment to team wellbeing informs every decision we make. While we understand the four-day work week will not be for everyone, its optional nature respects individual choice and work-life needs.
Ultimately, when our team feels content, healthy, and in control by having more choices, we can offer superior support to those who engage on our services.
Some of the challenges or things to consider
While the impact has been overwhelmingly positive, there are a few things worth flagging for organisations to think through when considering this move:
Scheduling and aligning with the team
We already have a very flexible, hybrid model at One Good* Day. Recovery Coaches divide their week up between their home office, working in the community with clients and a single mandatory office day with their pod (our name for a small team of 5-6 Recovery Coaches who all collaborate and support each other).
Even with a flexible and fluid model, thinking about schedules and adjustments to accommodate a compressed work week for some is important. Communication, flexibility, cooperation, and a willingness to sometimes adapt work habits will support navigating this smoothly.
Maintaining service delivery and availability
While Recovery Coaching is not a crisis service, it is critical we are available to our clients when they want to be engaging us throughout the week. Knowing what kind of availability our clients expect from us helped inform the boundaries of this policy. For example, we decided we were not able to accommodate a three-day work week at this stage, where traditional four-day hours are done across three days because without a job-sharing model (our next puzzle piece?) it is just not enough available days for our clients.
As we serve NDIS participants, we couldn’t make the shift to a four-day work week if it was going to negatively impact the quality of our service delivery. One Good* Day currently has around 60 permanent Recovery Coaches across Australia who support around 750 NDIS participants, so we knew we were at a size where coverage was possible with some planning. If this planning is done right, this is a big enhancement to service delivery. By continually focusing on how the organisation can enable the wellbeing of the team, we can more consistently bring our best to the people we support.
Managing energy and monitoring balance
There was also a concern that the longer workdays that come from condensing the full-time workload into four days could take a toll. It is important that our version of the 4-day work week remains opt-in and this is one of the reasons why.
Many people have responsibilities in the morning or early evening, and for them, it’s just not possible to contemplate a longer workday. For others a 7.6-hour workday is plenty thank you very much, making their current pattern a good fit.
As part of the individual application process for our four-day work week, we ask about the wellbeing plan for managing the longer days. For those who have opted in – they report that once they’ve started a workday and are in motion, a bit of extra time feels like no problem for them. For these people, a long weekend every week or a day off in the middle of the week without reducing total salary provides better balance and energy management than doing the same hours across more days.
Our usual structures of support and checking in on wellbeing enables us to partner with every Recovery Coach to ensure they are travelling well and can consider a range of strategies to support as required.
We lead with our values
One Good* Day is committed to supporting self-care and wellbeing across the team. We lead with our values and are very intentional about our organisational culture. We use a small team approach, flexibility, open communication, more choices, and empowerment to support people to thrive. Regular, formal reflective practice is an essential ingredient to the health and happiness of our team, and continued development of their practice approaches for the people they support (you can read more here).
If you are an individual who is seeking that extra level of engagement from a refreshed and well supported One Good* Day Recovery Coach, please contact us to find out more.
Alternatively, if you see the value of things like the four-day work week for NDIS Recovery Coaches and want to experience an organisation that is obsessed with wellbeing first hand, please get in touch about our next recruitment round.