Houses of Thought
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Policy

Should we adopt a four-day work week?

Worth piloting with output metrics and staggered coverage before any permanent switch.

Layer 1 / 7Concepts & question

Frame the question

Set the purpose, the question worth reasoning about, and the concepts the whole house rests on.

Purpose
Decide whether to move the company to a four-day week, and how to test it, so the call holds up to employees, managers, and finance.
Overarching question
Should we adopt a four-day work week?
Key concepts
ProductivityBurnoutCoverageCompensation
Layer 2 / 7Stakeholders

Build the perspectives

Reason from each stakeholder in turn. Assign perspectives to co-builders so the work divides cleanly.

4 perspectives
EmployeesYOYou74

Report less burnout and would defend the policy.

ManagersMRMaya R.60

Worry about coverage and client response times.

CustomersDKDevan K.58

Care about responsiveness, not the internal schedule.

FinanceYOYou55

Watches whether output holds at the same payroll.

Layer 3 / 7Sourced facts

Ground it in evidence

Add facts with citations. Research Mode finds sources for you, and every claim links back to something checkable.

3 sourced facts
MR
In the UK four-day-week pilot, 71 percent of staff reported reduced burnout while revenue stayed roughly flat.
DK
Iceland public-sector trials found productivity maintained or improved across most trial workplaces.
92 percent of the 61 participating UK companies continued the four-day week after the pilot ended.
Layer 4 / 7Foundations

Surface the assumptions

Name what has to be true for the reasoning to hold. Weak footings show up here first.

3 foundational assumptions
01Output is driven by focus, not hours logged.YO
02Coverage gaps can be staggered rather than backfilled with hires.MR
03Pay stays flat while hours drop.YO
Layer 5 / 7Where it lands

Draw the conclusion

State the central conclusion and the reasoning that carries the perspectives into it.

Central conclusion
Run a time-boxed pilot with defined output metrics and staggered coverage before making the change permanent.
The retention and burnout gains are well supported, while the risks around coverage and lasting productivity need local evidence.
Reasoning summary
Published trials repeatedly show steady output alongside lower burnout, which is strong support for the upside. The open questions are whether the gains outlast the novelty and whether client coverage holds on a shorter week. A pilot measures both before the company commits, so the policy gets tested rather than assumed.
Layer 6 / 7Consequences

Trace the implications

Map what follows if the conclusion holds, sorted by how positive, negative, or uncertain each consequence is.

4 implications mappedSorted by register and tagged with time horizon and who it lands on.
Positive · 2
Lower burnout and stronger retention.
Long-termEmployees
A hiring edge in a tight labor market.
Near-termFinance
Negative · 1
Coverage strain in client-facing and on-call roles.
Near-termManagers
Uncertain · 1
Whether the gains persist past the novelty period.
Long-termEmployees
Signals to watch · would change the conclusion
→Response-time targets slipping on the off day.
→Meeting load creeping back to fill four days.
Layer 7 / 7Score & publish

Review house strength

See how the house scores across evidence, logic, and coverage, what is driving each number, and what would raise it.

57/ 100
Developing
The reasoning is taking shape but leans on thin support. Add evidence and coverage before publishing.
The three scores
EvidenceDeveloping68
How well each claim is backed by a cited, checkable source.
Driving this score3 sourced facts
LogicThin51
Whether assumptions are surfaced and the conclusion follows from them.
Driving this score3 assumptions, conclusion set, 4 implications
CoverageThin48
The range of stakeholder perspectives the house accounts for.
Driving this score4 perspectives
How the overall is weightedEvidence 40% · Logic 35% · Coverage 25%

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