The first four-day work week has been confirmed for an Australian company, after the Australian Services Union (ASU) secured an agreement with Oxfam Australia.
Under the landmark employee bargaining agreement (EBA), permanent full-time employees working 35 hours per week can choose to have weekly hours and entitlements varied to 30 hours per week over four days, without any loss of pay.
Meanwhile, permanent part-time employees will have working hours and entitlements pro-rated against a full-time load of 30 hours.
The announcement comes after the world's largest four-day work week trial in Britain, reported considerable success.(Getty Images/iStockphoto)
The not-for-profit, which aims to tackle poverty and inequality, will conduct a six-month pilot of the scheme following latest negotiations with the union.
The shakeup will affect almost 100 employees as Oxfam has 97 full-time and 37 part-time works in Australia, of which about 90 are permanent.
It's the first such arrangement affecting full-time employees in Australia to be formalised within an Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA).
Oxfam is a not-for-profit that aims to tackle poverty and inequality.(AAP)
The EBA will be voted on between March 31 and April 4, but it's expected to garner a lot of support.
ASU Victorian Private Sector Branch secretary, Imogen Sturni, said the trial was a significant win for both workers, and the company.
A four-day, 30-hour work week is a win-win for Oxfam and its staff, she said.
It is pleasing to see Oxfam publicly recognising productivity comes in different forms and that work-life balance is essential for workers mental and physical health
When a worker is well supported and has the flexibility at work that they need in order to keep up with the varying demands in their lives, they actually perform better in their jobs.
It comes after theworld's largest four-day work week trial, in Britain, found the reduced hours resulted in a better work-life balance.
Almost 3000 workers from a range of industries - spanning from marketing to finance and not-for-profits - said they were also less stressed with the shorter week.
Of the benefits, 71 per cent reported they were less burned out, 39 per cent less stressed and 48 per cent more satisfied with their job than before the trial.
https://www.9news.com.au/national/first-four-day-work-week-secured-for-australian-company/8a6b32b4-ab55-4f74-8a38-7d2c1cfbad83
