The Four-Day Workweek: Ambitious Experiment
Metrickal, a firm in Barcelona specializing in remote recruitment, launched a trial of the four-day workweek. The aim was to see if employees could maintain productivity while working one day less each week. Patrick Synge, the company’s co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer, led the initiative. To track productivity, employees were asked to install DeskTime, a digital monitoring tool that records how team members spend work hours. The software was intended to pinpoint how time was being used and identify ways to work smarter. But DeskTime turned up something unexpected.
Tracking Software Uncovers a Double Job
DeskTime data showed that one employee, who worked entirely remotely and was already being monitored for declining performance, was spending more than half of his workday on activities unrelated to Metrickal. Automated reports pinpointed that he was apparently working for an American company—information flagged directly by the software.
“He probably forgot the software was running in the background,” Synge told Business Insider. “I suspected something, but without proof, I didn’t want to act lightly.” This time, there was undeniable evidence.
The impact didn’t stop at policy violation. Management was particularly frustrated that the delays caused by this employee shifted more work onto colleagues. Synge noted, “His delays weighed on the rest of the team. It was neither fair nor respectful.” Loyalty to one’s team, he emphasized, is non-negotiable.
The Side Hustle Paradox
In a twist of irony, Synge is publicly known for advocating “side hustles”—extra gigs to supplement income—and has even promoted them as part of Metrickal’s external recruitment. But he apparently considered Metrickal to be the primary job for employees, not a secondary one.
Part of a Larger Phenomenon?
This Barcelona case may be unusual, but it’s far from unique. According to a study by Infojobs, about 15% of workers in Spain reportedly held at least two jobs, sometimes at the same time. For 40%, the main motivation was to cover insufficient income, while 32% were looking for a financial boost. As side gigs become more common, companies keeping tabs on productivity might be wise to remember the growing trend of moonlighting in today’s remote work world.
