Nature Canada
Building a four-day work week that strengthened performance, retention, and leadership clarity
A case study in sustainable systems, leadership capacity, and mission resilience.
The Context
Nature Canada is a national environmental non-profit with a team of 28, supporting a network of more than 130,000 members and over 1,000 partner organizations across the country.
As a mission-driven organization, the work carried deep purpose alongside high responsibility. Over time, the way work was structured began to strain the people holding it. Not because commitment was lacking, but because the systems in place no longer supported sustainable leadership or long-term retention.
What wasn't working
The Challenge
Before this engagement, Nature Canada was facing growing pressure across several fronts. Leadership could feel the risk clearly. The organization was still delivering, but the cost was becoming visible in turnover, fatigue, and reduced clarity around priorities.
Employee burnout and disengagement were rising
Retention had fallen critically
Work-life balance scores were low
Engagement scores measuring passion and energy were declining
Retention Rate
before engagement
48%
Work-Life Balance Score
below target
3.62/5
Engagement Score
passion & energy
2.31/5
Why a surface solution wasn't enough
Nature Canada did not want a symbolic change or a temporary morale lift. They understood that without changes to systems, decision-making, and accountability, a four-day work week alone would not be sustainable.
Improve retention without sacrificing performance
Increase focus and productivity without extending workdays
Support well-being in a way that was structurally embedded, not individually managed
The Insight
The Approach
The work
Shauna Moran partnered with Nature Canada through a long-term organizational engagement that treated the four-day work week as a systems transformation, not a policy change.
01
A comprehensive organizational and leadership audit
02
Leadership alignment and baseline metric establishment
03
Executive coaching and leadership development
04
Design and implementation of a four-day work week pilot
05
Clear performance, communication, and accountability frameworks
06
Ongoing monitoring, real-time adjustments, and success metric tracking
The Outcomes
What changed
The results reflected both measurable performance gains and meaningful cultural shifts.
96%
Retention Rate
up from 48%
2×
Employee Satisfaction
doubled
50%
Leadership Effectiveness
improvement
73%
Performance Clarity
improvement
43%
Work Completion
increase
55%
Fewer Meetings
maintained performance
50hrs
Meeting Time Saved
per month
3.95
Work-Life Balance
up from 3.62
The organization moved from operating in constant effort to working with greater focus, trust, and predictability.
"With Shauna's help, we didn't just adopt a four-day work week. We built a system that works for our team, our mission, and our future."
Emily McMillian
Executive Director, Nature Canada
"Working with Shauna was invaluable over the years and as we developed and implemented our four-day work week strategy. She brought a wealth of expertise, practical insights, and a collaborative approach that made the process both thoughtful and achievable. Her ability to guide us through implementing this big change, while keeping our organizational values and culture front and center, ensured that our new way of working supported both productivity and staff well-being."
The Lesson
Why this matters
Sustainable leadership does not come from asking people to work less while expecting the same systems to hold.
It comes from redesigning how leadership, accountability, and performance operate together.
For Nature Canada, this work created a model where well-being and results reinforced each other, protecting both the mission and the people advancing it.
