More Australian businesses try out four-day workweek

Australian and New Zealand workers from more than 20 organisations, ranging from finance and retail to health, technology and construction, are gearing up to trial a four-day working week with no cut to pay. 

They will trial a shorter work week for six months from August as part of a global pilot involving 70 organisations in the UK and 38 in North America that is being run by New Zealand not-for-profit advocacy group 4 Day Week Global. 

Employees will be able to retain 100% of their pay while reducing their work hours to 80%, provided they commit to maintaining 100% productivity – known as a 100:80:100 model.

Organisations taking part in the Australasian trial include mortgage brokerage More Than Mortgages, social enterprise Our Community, marketing agency The Walk and mental health organisation Momentum Mental Health. 

The trial will follow similar efforts in other countries, including Iceland, New Zealand, Scotland and the US, where companies have embraced greater flexibility in work hours as more people worked remotely and adjusted their schedules during the pandemic.

READ: Calls for flexible work arrangements for frontline workers in Australia

Thousands of employees in Britain started the first day of a four-day work week on Monday as part of the pilot programme in the largest trial of its kind.  More than 3,300 workers in banks, marketing, health care, financial services, retail, hospitality and other industries in Britain are taking part in the pilot, the organisers said, according to news.com.au.