April brings about a lot of new beginnings. This year Flexi Labels wanted to try something new too. From April to the end of June 2024, we are looking to implement a four-day workweek on a trial basis. Alongside our new working hours, Monday to Thursday, 8:30am to 5:30pm, we are looking to add perks for our customers to ensure our level of customer service goes unchanged.
Why now and why four days? Flexi Labels has traditionally been a business that operates five days a week, 8:30am to 5pm and has done so since our launch in 2012. Since the pandemic, we have noticed a shift in buying patterns across the industry and how our customers operate within the traditional 9-5 working week. Many of our customers have adopted the flexible work week, ordering and corresponding mid-week or out-of-traditional business hours.
We are very thankful that the traffic to our website and the number of orders have massively increased since our rebrand, but we do think that there could be some reorganisation internally to become more effective. By realigning our work pattern, we should be able to offer more incentives to our customers, create a healthier and more motivated team environment and become an eco-friendlier company.
Faster Lead Times
One of the benefits of working longer shifts across four days is the ability to work later, fulfilling the demand for last-minute Next Working Day Orders.
Our current cut-off point for plain Next Working Day sheet and roll orders is 3pm. By working later, we plan to change the cut-off time to 4:30pm, allowing ample time for the production team to receive your order and manufacture it before the last couriers arrive.
A service which we are reintroducing is our Express Print Service. We have not been able to offer 2-3 Working Days on our print service for a long time, and we know it has been missed! Our current team is incredibly efficient and fantastic at ensuring the printed artworks that leave us are top standard.
The Express Print Service is live and ready to be applied to orders as and when required. Please note that although the service is 2-3 working days, this lead time starts only once an order has been placed, paid and the proof approved. Without proof approval, we are unable to create your wonderful products.
Reducing Carbon Emissions
We are actively making conscious choices to become more eco-friendly and reduce carbon emissions.
As a large warehouse unit, this can be difficult to manage. Last year we signed up for the ‘Zero 2 Landfill’ project, repurposing our excess manufacturing waste into building materials. A small step, but we think our four-day week can also contribute positively to the environment;
- Working four slightly longer days allows the machines to use less energy. Condensing five days worth of orders into four days ensures the machines are constantly running and kept warm. Cold start-ups or idle machines can consume more energy.
- Less water and electricity will be used in a four-day week than in a five-day week across the whole building.
- Our couriers will make one less trip to us a week, saving fuel and road time. Three van trips less a week across the three-month trial period will surely add up.
Reducing to four days may not make a huge difference, but it is a small step in a positive direction to reducing our emissions.
A Happier and Energised Team
We are nothing without our team (and we have a pretty brilliant one). So brilliant in fact, they are week-on-week smashing targets and getting orders out well within lead times.
Monitoring the workflow and patterns over the past three months, we believe that condensing our current work week into four days would increase productivity and positively impact the lead times that we can offer to our customers.
Studies from other workplace trials have shown a positive impact on staff physical and mental well-being. Working with our team to create a work environment that fosters a good work/life balance will only improve the service we can offer to our customers.
The four-day workweek has many benefits, but we do appreciate that this may sound like too much of a change for some of our most regular customers. Rest assured, during this trial period we will be monitoring our productivity, effectiveness and customer feedback.
We are an online business so our products, help articles and online content are readily available for inspiration or assistance 24/7. Although our customer service team may not be in the office on Fridays, we will be ready to answer the phone, online chats and emails as normal, Monday to Thursday, 8:30am - 5:30pm.
The digital team is looking to expand and improve our Help Centre, Social Media and YouTube channels with helpful content to ensure any gaps in knowledge are covered and to improve your experience ordering with us. We have a wealth of knowledge on sheet and roll labels and other adhesive products. If you have any suggestions on content you would like to see from us, please get in touch and we will be happy to facilitate!
