Unilever is going to a four-day working week for most Australian employees, the @FinancialTimes reports. Many economists now think the weekend could be extended, improving employee happiness without harming output or cutting wages, because so little time is actually spent working at work. [Unilever to extend four-day working week trial to Australia- FT]
The British multinational first tried the idea in New Zealand, and found productivity stayed high and staff were happier, the Financial Times reports. Now it’s extending the program to 500 of its 900 Aussies.
The “weekend” is a modern invention — the word was barely used before 1900, and in 1926, the car maker Henry Ford was unusual in giving his employees Saturdays off. Many economists now think the weekend could be extended, improving employee happiness without harming output or cutting wages, because so little time is actually spent working at work.
Placid Jover, chief talent officer at Unilever, said the company decided to extend the trial into Australia after positive results in New Zealand, where 80 staff reduced their hours to four rather than five days.
“We’ve had strong business performance, high engagement, people feeling happier, and time spent in meetings also coming down,” Jover said. “When we look at the world of work, we think that companies that master the art of offering flexibility will become more attractive employers with more engaged workforces.”
There was no downside to the impact of moving to a four-day week, Jover said. Business targets were met without a struggle at Unilever, while absenteeism dropped 34% and employees reported that stress levels fell by the same amount, along with a 67% decrease in work-life conflict.
Some smaller Australian businesses have already adopted four-day working weeks. Raisely, an online fundraising business, has made the shortened working week a permanent offering to staff after an initial three month trial. Founder and CEO Tom Maitland said: “We're doing this because when we asked our team the impact a four-day week would have on them, almost everyone said they'll be happier, with improved mental health, and better productivity.”
Raisley saw no drops in productivity by working four days, and response times for customers improved. In August, more than a dozen companies in Australia and New Zealand began a four-day working week trial due to last six months. Companies taking part range from marketing and communications to health.
The largest experiment on a shorter working week took place in Iceland between 2015-2019 with 2,500 public-sector workers involved in two trials. No drop in productivity occurred and a dramatic increase in employee wellbeing was recorded.
