Sunnking announces 4-day workweek

Sunnking, an electronics recycler headquartered in Brockport, New York, has implemented a four-day workweek for employees. The company says this change went into effect for its employees at both its western and central New York facilities.

“Time is the most valuable commodity we have in life, and we want this to be a benefit for the employees that work so hard throughout the week,” says Adam Shine, president of Sunnking. “We perceive this as a perk to working at our company and in an industry directly impacting our overall future.”

Sunnking’s management team surveyed its employees and spent months reviewing the impact of a four-day workweek on employee well-being and productivity before implementing this change, according to Sunnking’s news release announcing this change.

“We surveyed the employees, and it was clear they were excited about it,” Shine says. “It fits our company culture, which is progressive and accepting of new ideas. To our team members, Fridays are your day; whatever you want to do, spend them how you like.”

The company says it has shifted its traditional operational schedule to give employees flexibility. Team members will work four 10-hour shifts, with scheduled breaks throughout the day. Sunnking adds that this change does not impact its current business pickup schedules or residential recycling options. 

Shine tells Recycling Today some staff members will continue to work five days per week by choice, including its sales team, accounting and logistics. Employees involved with production have transitioned to the four-day workweek schedule, with accommodations provided for people who need it related to child care and similar issues.

“In order to continue the great service our customers have come to expect, we will still run our box trucks on Fridays,” he adds. “We thought about running them four days; however, the shift starts at 6:30 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m., and many of our customers aren’t open during that time frame. Service is so important to what we do. We don’t want our attention to detail or level of service to be affected in any way.

He continues, “Frankly, I see a shift coming in the future to four days as I think COVID taught us more about life-work balance. I say life-work because family is important, free time is important and we felt that we could get the same productivity but benefit our employees by letting them choose how to spend more of their time.”