Aussie boss reveals surprising benefits of four-day work week
Aussie boss reveals the surprising benefits of introducing a four-day work week – and why he made the switch
- The company in Perth has switched to a four-day work week
- Boss says it led to several benefits
- He says that employees now take less absenteeism
An Aussie boss says he moved his company to a four-day work week – revealing the positive impact it had on his staff.
Brian Hack, the managing director of EES Shipping in Perth, said he had introduced a four-day work week after the pandemic.
He said there was a lot of stress among the staff after the pandemic and to manage the situation, he decided to switch to four days to avoid burnout.
The change has been positive, with Mr Hack revealing reduced absenteeism, fewer errors and ‘better collaboration’ across his company.
Brian Hack, the general manager of EES Shipping in Perth, said he had introduced a four-day work week after the pandemic
Appearing on Sunrise, he said, “Behind the pandemic there was obviously a bit of mental stress, especially in our industry.
“So to avoid burnout, we thought we could try something that would benefit not only the company, but the employees themselves.
‘WI’ve seen a lot of interesting things come out of it.
‘There are fewer sick days, we see fewer errors and people simply work better together. Our processes are simply better and so we see quite a lot of benefits coming from it.’
He also explained how the system worked and outlined the “180, 100 rules” he uses.
Under that system, he says, they aim for 100 percent of the output of 80 percent of the work time with full pay.
Mr Hack says this means employees are working shifts for up to seven and a half hours every other day to meet their targets.
He added: “We’ve found that we’ve streamlined our processes and just become more aware of time and made sure we get things done in a more efficient way.”
Oxfam Australia previously introduced a four-day work week after consultation with staff.
Workers at Oxfam Australia will be able to work just four days a week after the company agreed a deal with the Australian Services Union.
The employment contract allows permanent full-time employees who work 35 hours a week to reduce their hours to 30 hours in four days, without loss of pay.
The deal was the first of its kind to cover full-time employees in Australia and was formalized within an EBA.
However, a survey by job site Indeed previously showed that the number of vacancies mentioning a four-day work week has increased in recent years.
Proponents of the four-day week have said the five-day pattern is a “hangover” from an earlier economic era.
They also argue that a four-day workweek would push more companies to improve productivity, meaning they could create the same output, just in fewer hours.