New Dawn’s Four Day Work Week Pilot

COVID-19 has changed us in innumerable ways.

We have a deeper understanding of virus transmission, the workings of vaccines, and the role of public health than perhaps we ever thought possible. We’ve seen firsthand how pandemics impact those who have already been made vulnerable because of poverty, systemic racism, and systemic ableism.

We’ve seen physical workplaces become virtual almost overnight, and we continue to live with the impacts of uncertainty, stress, sickness, and changes to employment and income on our mental health and well-being.

At New Dawn we’ve decided to take this moment to reflect on how we work and to see if we can strike a better balance between our work, home, family, and personal lives, recognizing that life is busy and getting busier, and we’re all carrying more tasks, responsibilities, questions, burdens, and priorities as we emerge from the last two years.

Starting on June 6th, New Dawn will begin a six-month a Four Day Work Week Pilot with the hope of making this a permanent feature of the organization in 2023. Our goals in pursuing the Pilot include:

• Taking proactive steps to prevent workplace burnout
• Creating a workplace culture that prioritize balance between the work and home lives of employees
• Reframing how we think about work, from hours in office to responsibilities to execute and outcomes to achieve
• Reflecting on the way in which Western culture connects worth to productivity, and thinking about the other needs and gifts we have that create whole and balanced lives: friends and family, connection and relationships, health and well being, civic and community contributions, among others.
• Continuously striving for the values of care, flexibility, responsiveness, self-determination, and accountability in all that we do: for and with our employees, clients, tenants, and community