Four-Day Workweek - Accenture Best Practices

Jennifer XXXX is a Pittsburgh-based consultant within the Resources market unit who travels to a client site in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, on Monday mornings and returns back home Thursday nights. She has been successfully spending four days at the client site ever since she joined Accenture three years ago and is able to spend the fifth day in her home city.

Jennifer is the functional design lead for a PeopleSoft Supply Chain implementation at Corning Display Technologies where she has been working since September 2000. She has worked on Corning projects since the start of her career with Accenture. Jennifer's current

supervisor, Tom, is the associate partner for the Corning Display Technologies engagement and is a strong proponent of the four-day travel week. From the beginning of a project, Tom and the management team set the client's expectations that the team members will be on site just four days a week—Monday through Thursday. Tom takes the right measures to ensure that the client is comfortable with this arrangement. Since this flexible travel arrangement has been in place for some time and is available to the entire team, Jennifer has not had to submit a formal request for a #flexible travel schedule.

Jennifer has a unique arrangement whereby she compresses five days' worth of client work into four. This allows her to be in her home location on Fridays. After having put in a full week at the client, which often means long hours, Jennifer uses her Fridays for self-development, community activities and client work, as needed.

"A four-day travel week makes a world of a difference in #worklifebalance. It can be managed so that you have balance between your work and personal life and also deliver on #clientexpectations. Because the whole team has been on the same arrangement since the beginning and project management has set up expectations to ensure that the client understands this, the client is generally accepting of our #flexibleworkweek." says Jennifer.

Being in her home location on Fridays allows Jennifer to attend appointments or run other errands that would otherwise be very difficult to do. The most difficult part of a #flexiblework arrangement is managing the client's expectations and building a #reputation whereby the client sees that the work can and will be done in four days. Jennifer stresses that the only way to resolve these challenges and to ensure that you will continue to have a four-day travel week is through #projectmanagement's support. The involvement and support of project management is essential. They must ensure that the client's expectations are being adequately managed. They must be sensitive to the client's perception since client #projectteam members may not be familiar with or comfortable with this sort of flexible work schedule. This is why it's important that all project team members demonstrate to the client that the team can accomplish as much in a four-day period as they would otherwise in five days. The client must also be assured that #Accenture team members will be available for Friday work if it is needed. It is important to demonstrate to the client that this arrangement will not jeopardize progress in any way.

"Be prepared to work late hours under this work arrangement," says Jennifer.

Even though a person is able to spend Fridays in their home location with a four-day travel week plan, working this arrangement requires that you work more hours on the days you are at the client site.

Jennifer points out, "A four-day travel week is a privilege. Increased demands on the project may require that you occasionally have to work five days at the client's site." (Written by Don Scott while employed as an Accenture #communicationsconsultant)