The push for a four-day work week in Australia

New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, has urged employers to consider introducing a four-day work week to provide a boost to the tourism industry in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

But the idea has also been positively received by corporate leaders here in Australia.

President of CPA Australia, Peter Wilson, says a shorter work week would help more Australians get back to work after the pandemic.

“It’s a great suggestion and applicable right across the economy, not just the tourist sector,” he told Neil Mitchell.

Mr Wilson said a transitional period where more people work part-time will help ensure Australians aren’t left out of work and destitute when JobKeeper payments end.

“The issue exercising business and government minds now is ‘how do we bring people back to work in the way that enables the progressive take up of demand?’,” he said.

“If we have flexibility in the way people come back into full time work, we’ll see a path to recovery.”

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CEO of New Zealand not-for-profit, 4 Day Week, Charlotte Lockhart, says more hours in the office doesn’t necessarily mean more work gets done.

“Once you know what your productivity is it is actually quite simple to reduce hours,” she said.

“These are conversations that businesses need to be having for survival.”

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