My twin brother visited recently, to move his son into the University of Michigan. During his visit, he told me about an innovative program at the school in Belton, Texas, where he and his wife both teach. For the past two years, the entire school district has shifted to a four-day school week starting in September. Every Friday, students have the freedom to choose from a variety of activities—whether it be extracurriculars, camps, or special programs.

Our conversation was cut short and I wasn’t able to share my opinion on this, but personally, I find this program remarkable. My brother mentioned that other school districts and states have adopted similar approaches. What fascinates me most is a school district’s ability to make such a significant cultural shift—something I imagine would be even more challenging in a corporate environment.

Here are a few reasons why Texas is implementing a four-day school week:

• To capture and retain talent: There is a teacher shortage and this is a key to getting quality individuals in the school districts.

• Better school-life balance: Students and teachers are happier due to the shortened week, which allows them to focus on key areas in their lives.

• Higher performance: The schools are seeing that students are performing better in classes due to the shortened week.

These are similar to the reasons why Circadian Risk allows for employees the opportunity to work four-day work weeks. Our initiative stemmed from our employees' desire for a stronger work-life balance—a desire we fully support.

The importance of changing our work culture

I commend the Texas school system for pioneering a program that I believe will produce a stronger, more capable workforce—individuals who are well-prepared to meet the demands of high-stakes jobs while enjoying a balanced life.

So many workplaces emphasize the number of hours worked over the quality or output of work. I come from a more traditional mindset that believes in rewarding employees appropriately—not overburdening high performers while others fall short. When you place additional work on those who excel, rather than recognizing and rewarding their efforts, you risk diminishing their motivation.

This approach can lead to talented individuals seeking opportunities elsewhere, feeling as though their hard work is being punished rather than appreciated.

How Circadian Risk has worked to evolve our culture

At Circadian Risk, company culture is paramount. We strive to improve employee satisfaction, which in turn enhances client satisfaction by fostering a capable, loyal, and creative workforce. We've observed a significant increase in employee capabilities, leading to a stronger commitment to their roles.

We also offer other unique benefits, such as unlimited personal time off. We believe in a healthy work-life balance and in supporting our employees’ happiness. Personally, I’m a workaholic—I genuinely love what I do. My passion lies in making companies safer, a mission that has driven me throughout my adult life. While it may sound cliché, this commitment to safety and security is at the core of who I am.

In addition to our four-day work week, we provide 100% coverage of insurance premiums for our employees and their families. My goal is to ensure that our employees never have to worry about healthcare costs when they or their loved ones are unwell. We want them to focus on their health and well-being without financial stress.

We continuously evaluate our culture, benefits, policies, and procedures to ensure that everyone at Circadian Risk has a voice and that we maintain a positive and supportive work environment.

A strong workplace culture should lead to a healthy work-life balance

I hope more people find themselves in companies they love, doing work they are passionate about. When someone loves their job, it shines through in their interactions with colleagues, clients, and the brand as a whole.

If you’re interested in becoming an intern or exploring our open positions at Circadian Risk, please visit our careers page or email us at hiring@circadianrisk.com.

About the Author

Daniel Young

Founder & Chief Innovation Officer

Daniel has been a security and risk advisor for more than 10 years, and is passionate about helping companies to better understand their risks to undesirable events on a daily basis. Dan previously served as the Regional Bioterrorism Coordinator for District 1 in Michigan, where he was instrumental in preparing communities for catastrophic incidents. He has also acted as the Private Security Liaison for the City of Lansing’s Critical Infrastructure Team, which identified and documented deficiencies in the city’s critical infrastructure.

He is a Co-Founder of the CSO Risk Council, a think tank of seasoned security professionals and thought leaders with extensive experience in managing the physical security and risks of large enterprises consisting of multiple sites and whose mission is to create a better process to develop and share innovative solutions and pertinent information with organizations to improve safety and security risk by providing a forum to discuss best practices and recommendations for specific risk scenarios and to network with other enterprise security professionals.