The architecture industry in the United States has long been associated with grueling working hours, intense deadlines and a relentless drive to monetize creativity. With good reason, hyper-productivity in America is a reality. At the same time, starting in 2022, more and more companies are considering an alternative operating model - the four-day workweek.
The inspiration for the change is several. First, a growing awareness of the need for work-life balance. Second, the post-COVID-19 remote work model has opened the door to rethinking entrenched ideas about productivity. Third, there is increasing talk about how a shorter workweek positively impacts the environment (less office waste and energy spent on employee and customer communications).
Automation and digital tools enable effective implementation of a shorter workweek, minimizing time-consuming tasks
photo: wal_172619 © Pixabay
Additionally, neuroscience research suggests that a shorter workweek realistically improves cognitive function. The human brain needs time to process information and generate creative solutions, making long working hours downright counterproductive in creative professions. A four-day work week therefore provides architects and designers with the mental space needed for innovation. Reducing the weekly workload without compromising on project deadlines forces teams to work smarter and more efficiently, not harder. As part of this thinking, companies such as BSB Design, Gensler, Barefoot Architects and Perkins&Will - to name the most recognizable - are blazing a trail by experimenting with condensed schedules that prioritize productivity and creativity instead of cramming their employees into the exhausting modes of the corporate structure.
The idea of shorter workweeks is also gaining strength at the legislative level. While the United States does not have a nationwide law on a shortened workweek, individual states are pushing for local laws supporting flexible solutions for companies. California is certainly leading the way, and in San Francisco there is increasing discussion of implementing a thirty-two-hour workweek for the entire state and all industries.
A four-day work week improves cognitive function and supports creativity
photo: fahribaabdullah14 © Pixabay
Last but not least, architecture firms implementing a four-day work week are also gaining support from clients, who recognize that happier, more relaxed employees mean better, higher-quality work. One significant expected change is the American Institute of Architects' (AIA) push to consider relaxing the weekly schedule within its own structures.
Implementing a four-day work week in architecture firms is a major logistical challenge: both at the level of the offices themselves and at the level of client contact. Tools such as Asana, Slack and Trello - task management applications for creative teams - support the introduction of a shorter work week. A more complex issue is the internal workflow of project data documents, their remote signing and delivery to contractors. In this area, one popular solution is ArchiOffice, an application designed by Steven Burns, himself an architect and business owner with many years of experience. In 1993, after seven years at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Burns founded his own firm, Burns + Beyerl Architects (BBA). Recognizing inefficiencies in its management, Burns decided to program his own tool for better information flow within the office. The first ArchiOffice integrated key functions such as time and expense tracking, project workflow and budgeting.
The post-COVID-19 remote work model helped rethink traditional productivity assumptions, paving the way for a shorter work week
photo: StockSnap © Pixabay
Since its inception, the tool has been used by more than 4,000 architecture firms. We spoke with Steven Burns about his experience with ArchiOffice and the new challenges for leadership in the creative industries in the context of the four-day work week.
Ania Diduch: How has working with architecture business owners changed your perspective on the relationship between creativity and digital technologies?
Steven Burns: Through ArchiOffice, I have had personal contact with more than 1,400 companies. As a business coach, working directly with business owners and their key personnel, I've learned that one of the main challenges facing offices is how to balance serving clients with building a sustainable, stable business. In other words: how to grow without eating your own tissues.
Ania Diduch: The idea of a four-day work week has been gaining popularity in recent years. What is the broader context of this idea?
Steven Burns: Seventeen years ago Tim Ferriss published a book called "The 4-Hour Workweek," which was met with skepticism and enthusiasm. Despite the controversy, the title was on the New York Times bestseller list for four years, sold more than 2 million copies and was translated into forty languages.
In the context of building a sustainable business, which I just mentioned, I also like to cite another bestseller - "Atomic Habits" - from 2018 [the book's author is James Clear - ed. note], which highlights the difficulty of building habits that lead to sustainable change. The goal of my book and my professional practice is not to offer quick fixes, but to show how changing habits and work processes can free us from feeling overwhelmed and stuck in tasks that don't bring joy.
COVID also reevaluated the notion of productivity as "more is better." The spirit of "stop and think" that came with lockdown was a wake-up call for solutions to financial stability based on a more flexible approach than the one that prevailed for most of the 20th century.
I've also recently come across a new movement called FIRE - Financial Independence,Retire Early- which is particularly popular among Generation Z. I don't see this as a sustainable model. The life of an architect is not about looking for a shortcut to retirement, but about enriching your days with the joy of creativity that design should bring.
AniaDiduch: What are the practical steps to achieving a four-day work week?
Steven Burns: Tim Ferriss identifies four main areas to consider to achieve a four-hour work week: Definition, Elimination, Automation and Liberation. First, defining what you want out of life and what constitutes work is key. Next is elimination - removing tasks that don't contribute to the defined goals, even if they are important to the business. Automation helps streamline processes, which leads to liberation, when you can pursue your goals more freely. It's a kind of closed loop.
After completing my master's degree, I moved to Chicago and worked for a renowned international architecture firm, spending ninety hours a week in the office. At the time, despite the long hours, I was incredibly happy. This was due in part to the company's excellent processes and mentoring, which made work a joy. However, everything changed when I started my own company. Despite my initial success and growth, I realized that running the company and being responsible for clients had taken the joy out of my work. The joy of being an architect was overshadowed by the demands of running a business. This prompted me to redefine what constitutes a happy, fulfilled life. Even before Tim Ferriss' book came out, I began to identify the work that made me happy, and the tasks that were necessary for the sustainability of the business, but did not bring me happiness. That's why I would say that the four-day work week starts with just elimination.
Ania Diduch: How does the software you've created help companies achieve better productivity in less time?
Steven Burns: In any company, the introduction of smart technology can be groundbreaking. Most architects already know the benefits of CAD and BIM software. However, design is only a part of the architectural business. I have focused on developing a product for project management, accounting, time and billing, human resources and customer relationship management. ArchiOffice not only helps you become more efficient and profitable, but also minimizes your workload while providing the clarity to make faster, smarter decisions.
I would also like to add that one aspect of technology that I think every company should adopt is transparency. Many business and project management applications offer security settings that allow administrators or business owners to control the sharing of data within the company. That's why I encourage giving permissions to employees so they can see business and project results. Such transparency makes team members feel respected and involved.
Ania Diduch: Let's talk a bit about automation.
Steven Burns: Automation is my favorite topic! Unlike tracking time spent on a given task, or analyzing the past, automation creates a better future by addressing repetitive, time-consuming tasks. Automation can significantly streamline operations and reduce the need for constant human intervention.
Automation especially works well in areas such as scheduled and automated reports, scheduled or automated invoicing, and accounting. Just these three areas of automation can save a company up to twelve workweeks per year, which translates into significant cost savings. The time saved is equivalent to 20-25 percent of a full-time employee's annual time.
Ania Diduch: What is the connection between reducing time spent in the office and modern leadership? Is it about positive corporate image?
Steven Burns: It goes deeper than that. For leadership, delegation is key. When done correctly, it benefits both the person delegating and the person who receives the assigned tasks. Assigning new challenges, especially if they are beyond employees' current skills, builds trust and strengthens relationships. For the senior person, it relieves stress and frees up time for tasks that align with his or her goals. Many leaders are wary of delegation because of the fear of not being competent, but this can be easily remedied with proper mentoring and, most importantly, framing the entire process with a time frame that includes a margin for trial and error.
Ania Diduch: Thank you for the interview.
interviewed: Ania DIDUCH
Art historian, cultural journalist and exhibition curator, who lives in New York on a daily basis.
Read more: A&B 10/2024 - DEVELOPMENT AND CIRCULARITY,
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