Hello Starling, a Cardiff advertising agency, has operated a permanent four-day, 28-hour working week since 2019 without reducing employees' pay. Seven years on, the agency says it has continued to grow, win new clients and deliver award-winning work while maintaining the model, with no intention of returning to a five-day week.
Based in Tramshed, the agency specialises in planning and buying advertising space across multiple channels. Its team includes employees across Cardiff and the Vale, as well as further afield in places such as Brecon and Aberdare.
Why the agency introduced a four-day week
The decision was not driven by a passing trend or a desire to follow other businesses. Instead, it came from a growing recognition that being busy did not necessarily mean being productive, according to managing director James Robinson, who founded the agency.
"When we introduced the four-day week in 2019, we couldn't have predicted how much it would change us," James said. "We wanted to build an agency where talented people could do exceptional work without feeling that work had to dominate their lives."
Rather than asking how five days' work could be fitted into four, the agency focused on changing how it worked, reviewing processes, challenging unnecessary administration, improving campaign management and making responsibilities and priorities clearer.
"As cliché as it sounds, we weren't looking for people to work harder, we were looking for smarter ways of working," he added.
How employees use their extra day off
Employees can choose which day best suits their needs rather than having the same day off allocated to everyone. Nia Sandford, 32, who has been at Hello Starling for around two and a half years, used to take every Friday off when her daughter was in nursery, but has recently adjusted her schedule as her daughter started school.
"I've kind of been flicking between keeping one day off to working shorter days. It depends on how my family can help out with childcare," Nia said. "This week, I've taken a shorter day Monday, Tuesday and Friday to be able to do the school run and pick up at the end of the day."
Megan Bennett, 28, who previously worked a nine-day fortnight and freelanced for three days a week, uses her day off to freelance in a different industry. "Having that extra day off has been really helpful for me. I talk about getting a mortgage, but financially, it's quite difficult out there at the minute," she said.
Megan Williams, 20, a student at the University of South Wales, joined Hello Starling through the university's Network75 programme, which combines study with paid, long-term industry experience. During term time, she spends three days a week working and two days studying, and works full time during university holidays.
Impact on work and clients
The team says the shorter week has not reduced the workload but has encouraged more efficient planning. "The workload isn't any less than what it would be on a five-day working week, but being in for four days is a real incentive to make sure that we plan our time more efficiently," Megan Bennett said.
James said clients ultimately judge the agency on its results. "The reality is that clients don't ask how many days we work. They ask whether campaigns are delivered on time, whether they receive good advice and whether we're helping them achieve their objectives," he said.
At the time of its seven-year review, average employee tenure stood at more than five years. The agency is now recognised as a Gold Standard employer by the 4 Day Week Foundation, an accreditation that applies to organisations operating a permanent four-day week of 32 hours or less, with reduced hours and no loss of pay.
James said the four-day week is no "shortcut." "If a business has unclear processes, poor communication or an unhealthy culture, moving to four days won't solve those problems. If anything, it'll expose them more quickly," he said. "The four-day week isn't really about working fewer days. It's about designing work differently. Our team benefits, which means our clients benefit, and ultimately, that makes for great business."
