Murrumbidgee Council in southwestern New South Wales will trial a four-day work week beginning in January, becoming the first local government in Australia to do so. The 15-month trial will compress the standard 38-hour work week into four longer days, providing employees with 52 long weekends. Council services, with the exception of childcare and caravan park facilities, will be closed on Fridays. On-call essential service workers will continue to be rostered.
The decision follows extensive staff and community consultations, with employees voting overwhelmingly in favor of the compressed schedule. Council general manager John Scarce stated that the move is intended not only to enhance productivity but also to provide the rural council with a competitive advantage in attracting workers to regional Australia. The council will spend the next six months preparing for the trial, which includes finalizing operational details and establishing performance metrics.
Murrumbidgee Council will make history as the first local government organisation in Australia to introduce a four-day working week trial.
The trial will undergo a review after 12 months, with the potential for the arrangement to become permanent if productivity targets are met. Scarce noted that the agreement is for 15 months to allow for this review and a decision on whether to continue or revert to the previous schedule.
Community reaction to the trial is divided. Some residents expressed concerns about the compressed hours potentially impacting productivity, particularly given the reduced daylight hours available for work during certain periods. However, others, like a local butcher shop owner who reduced his own business hours to four days, cited firsthand experience with increased productivity under a shorter week.
The United Services Union has endorsed the council's decision, pointing to successful implementations of similar models in other countries, particularly in Scandinavia. Industrial officer Stuart Geddes indicated that data from these international trials shows productivity improvements even with longer workdays, despite a reduction in overall working days.
Most council services will be closed on Fridays.