Several companies test a four-day work week without pay cut in Australia

One of them is the social company Our Community, which has been implementing this new schedule since last month. Specifically, they use the model where employees keep 100% of their salary while reducing their working hours to 80%, as long as maintain 100% productivity.

According to its founder, Denis Moriarty, workers are more productive and “tremendously” happy to have an extra day off. “It has had a profound impact on the staff and their families,” he explained. “They do more in four days than in five because they are recharged and refreshed,” he added.

The initiative is part of a six-month pilot program that began last June, and in which companies from different countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States, Canada, Ireland and South Africa, participate.

Other benefits

After three months, questionnaires were sent to the participants to evaluate the project. 88% of the 41 companies that responded say the program is working well, with 15% saying productivity has improved significantly. Additionally, 86% of respondents said they are likely to maintain a four-day work week at the end of the trial.

Andrew Barnes, founder of 4 Day Week Global, pointed out that this initiative also reduces carbon emissions and it could relieve pressure on the health system by making workers healthier, as well as allowing them to spend more time with their families.

For his part, John Quiggin, professor of economics at the University of Queensland, sees the four-day work week as a way for employees to make up “lost ground” amid rising inflation, although he indicated that it is necessary to wait. until the end of the test to draw conclusions.