Finding the perfect pair of jeans requires patience and a willingness to try things that don’t always fit. ThredUp has built an entire business around that idea, giving people a second shot at finding what works, and a guilt-free way to let go of what doesn’t.
And like a good pair of jeans, the same logic applies to making sure your employees are a good fit and are handled with care. That’s what James Reinhart thought when running the beloved secondhand resale company. When he saw what happened after he gave his employees a four-day work week—satisfaction, retention, and creativity all skyrocketed—he didn’t overthink it. A good fit makes the jeans worth hanging onto.
“It was a top-level decision,” the ThredUp co-founder and CEO said while making the case at Fortune’s Workplace Innovation Summit in Atlanta on Tuesday, speaking on a panel titled “Burnout Is Breaking Work” moderated by Fortune’s Indrani Sen. “We’re not going back.” And that’s why, Reinhart argues, his company will have a leading edge in attracting top talent while other companies still require a five-day workweek.
Reinhart introduced the four-day workweek during the pandemic after noticing that when employees had full control over their schedules, productivity exploded and, he said, typical retention metrics went “through the roof.” So, when companies answered calls to return to the office as the pandemic eased, Reinhart decided the four-day workweek would become a permanent fixture for the company.
