Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association

10 Australian companies have embraced the 4-day week. Here's what they say about it

Retrieved on: 
Sunday, June 4, 2023
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There have been glowing reports in the past few years about the success of trials in Iceland, the United Kingdom and elsewhere.

Key Points: 
  • There have been glowing reports in the past few years about the success of trials in Iceland, the United Kingdom and elsewhere.
  • But 4 big questions need answers

    To get a better sense of the reality, we’ve surveyed ten Australian organisations that have embraced the model.

  • But what they told us suggests the four-day work week can successfully deliver positive outcomes for both employers and employees across a range of different industries.

Who we surveyed

    • The other six have extended their trials, though are still to formally make the move permanent.
    • We believe these ten organisations represent the bulk of Australian organisations using the 100:80:100 model.
    • There may be others, but we looked hard to ensure our survey was as complete as possible.
    • Four of the companies were part of the global studies referred to above.

No lost productivity

    • Three of the ten managers reported no loss of productivity despite a 20% reduction in hours – so effectively staff were about 20% more productive.
    • The other seven reported productivity being even higher than before.

Workers’ response


    Based on internal surveys and anecdotal evidence, managers reported the extra day off each week meant workers felt more relaxed and re-energised, and helped avoid the “Sunday scaries” – the anxiety and dread felt on Sunday night at the prospect of another five-day week.

    Read more:
    Three ways to tackle the 'Sunday scaries', the anxiety and dread many people feel at the end of the weekend

    These are significant findings, given the record levels of stress and burnout in Australian workplaces.

Scepticism remains

    • Participating managers said the biggest barrier was overcoming scepticism both internally and from external stakeholders such as clients and customers.
    • The biggest point of resistance was people simply not believing fewer hours didn’t have to mean lower productivity.
    • Overcoming that scepticism is likely to require more evidence from trials – including from larger companies, to see if the benefits reported by these small companies are scalable to the whole workforce.