An Aussie boss says he has moved his company to a four-day week – and revealed the positive impact its had on his workforce.
Brian Hack, the managing director of EES shipping in Perth, said he implemented a four-day working week after the pandemic.
He said there was a lot of stress in the workforce after the pandemic and to manage the situation, he decided to switch to four-days to help avoid burnout.
The change has been a positive one, with Mr Hack revealing that there have been less sick days, less errors and ‘better collaboration’ across his company.
Appearing on Sunrise, he said: ‘In the back of the pandemic, there was obviously a little bit of mental stress, especially in our industry.
‘So to avoid burnout we thought we could try and do something that would not only benefit the company but also the employees themselves.
‘We’ve seen a lot of quite interesting things come out of it.
‘There’s been less sick days, we’re noticing reduced errors and people are just collaborating better. Our processes are just better and so we have seen quite a lot of benefits come from it.’
He also explained how the system worked, outlining the ‘180, 100 rules’ he is used.
Under that system, he says they are pushing for 100 per cent of the output from 80 per cent of the working time at full pay.
Read Related Also: Priscilla Presley attends twin grandkids’ school graduation – but Riley Keough does NOT attend
Mr Hack says that this means that, every other day, workers end up doing up to seven and a half hour shifts to hit their targets.
He added: ‘We’ve found that we’ve streamlined our processes and just been more cognizant of time and making sure that we’re getting things done in a more efficient manner.’
Oxfam Australia previously implemented a four-day week after discussions with staff.
Workers at Oxfam Australia will be able to work just four days a week after the company agreed to a deal with the Australian Services Union.
The employee bargaining agreement will allow permanent full-time employees who are working 35 hours a week to have their hours reduced to 30 over four days, without losing any pay.
The deal was the first of its kind affecting full-time workers in Australia to be formalised within an EBA.
However, a study from jobs site Indeed previously found the number of job ads mentioning a four-day work week increased in recent years.
Advocates of the four-day week have said that the five-day pattern is a ‘hangover’ from an earlier economic age.
They also argue that a four-day-week would drive more companies to improve their productivity, meaning they can create the same output, just in fewer hours.
