Calls for a four-day work week are stronger off the back of successful trials in Australia and New Zealand.
Businesses are being urged to seriously consider shifting to a four-day work week, with the latest research hailing trials of the shorter week a “game changer”.
Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology’s (RMIT) head of business management Joe Jiang said successful trials in Australia and New Zealand showed benefits for employees, the organisation, and society.
“It is not surprising that the reduction of working hours/days, without a pay cut, improves employees’ wellbeing, which can further boost their performance, productivity, innovation and creativity,” ” Professor Jiang said.
“The introduction of a four-day work week delivers a strong message about the employer’s emphasis on work-life balance, openness to new and innovative solutions to support employees, and a commitment to building a sustainable, resilient workforce.
“The evidence from pilot (programs), such as in Australia and New Zealand, shows that strategically moving to a four-day work week will be a game changer for many sectors.”
RMIT’s Professor Joe Jiang is hailing the four-day work week as a ‘game changer’. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Kelly Barnes
Professor Jiang said those benefits could even extend to benefits for the wider community.
“For example, less commuting helps reduce traffic jams and carbon pollution,” he said.
“It may also help workers enrich their family roles and assist to address the society’s gender gaps, such as through enhancing flexibility for caregiving duties and increasing equal employee opportunities regardless of gender.”
Professor Jiang notes while most of the data available at the moment is from developed countries, he’s looking forward to seeing pilot programs trialled in places like South Africa and Brazil.
In May, data from 4 Day Work Week Global, which had 26 companies trial the shorter week for no reduction in pay for six months, found 95 per cent of those businesses were in favour of making the switch permanently.
Ninety-six per cent of employees reported wanting to stick with the four-day work week, two-thirds reported feeling less burnout and 38 per cent said they felt less stressed.
https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/at-work/game-changer-fourday-work-week-trials-a-success-expert-says/news-story/572ba1e8f280fc783c30ba05dd42efdf
