The four-day workweek is back on the national agenda as the federal government looks for ways to address Australia’s declining productivity.
A new study has found that a shorter working week with no pay cut reduces burnout and improves both mental and physical health while boosting job satisfaction.
However, would this work module be realistic for all workplaces?
On Tuesday afternoon’s episode of The Briefing, we talked to Future of Work expert Dr Libby Sander on what is holding some bosses back and why a four-day week is just around the corner.
The trail tracked 2,896 employees across 141 organisations in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United States, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.
“The great thing about this new study that’s just come out about the four day work week is that it really supports a range of work that’s been done research around the world over the last two years,” she said.
“In fact that people can be more productive, that revenue increases in the organisations that participated, that sales increases in the organisations that participated…over 95 or 96 per cent of organisations that were in those trials elected to keep the four-day workweek after the trial had ended.”
Still, the government is split. Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek declined to rule out the four-day week when asked on Sunrise.
On the other side, Finance Minister Katy Gallagher told the ABC it was “not on their agenda”.
Dr Sander said the trial set an example for other organisations to follow.
“I think ultimately it will become a competitive advantage. So the companies that don’t do it are going to lose the best talents to the companies that do offer this.”
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