DixonBaxi on shorter workweeks and newfound flexibility.

Design Week speaks with Simon Dixon about the adoption of a shorter working week and the benefits of an adaptive approach to productivity, exploring the ways in which design studios are embracing hybrid working strategies now and into the future.

A smaller workweek means bigger productivity
Our 4.5-day workweeks began as a way to safeguard wellbeing in the winter months of lockdown. “When it was dark in winter and people weren’t getting enough sunlight, there was a mental and physical need to get out”, explains Co-Founder Simon Dixon. After careful review from the senior leadership team, shorter weeks are here to stay.

The change reflects a cultural shift in thinking as creative industries embrace an understanding of work that moves away from working hours and towards pure productivity. “Rather than it being about the number of hours, it’s about how much work you can get done in a period”, adds Simon. The result is a heightened sense of creative agency and renewed focus, leading to greater productivity across teams.

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The future is flexible
As we look towards the post-pandemic future and imminent return to the office, we’re faced with a unique opportunity for review. Flexibility measures originally adopted out of necessity have become part of successful operational strategies, supporting productivity, creativity and wellbeing – a realisation that, as Simon mentions, has “helped us sharpen the rhythm of how projects work.”

Read the full article as featured in Design Week.