Hundreds of workers trial nine-day fortnight at Bupa

A Bupa spokeswoman confirmed the pilot was under way but declined to say why the health insurer had launched a trial, saying it was too early in the process to provide a comment.

Cecelia Herbert, principal behavioural scientist at employee experience platform Qualtrics, said four-day weeks and nine-day fortnights could potentially deliver “huge value” to organisations adopting them.

“[They can] help to lift employee engagement, improve wellbeing, drive productivity, attract talent, and create the flexibility needed to deliver better customer outcomes,” Dr Herbert said.

Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry director of workplace relations Jessica Tinsley said employers would offer staff more flexibility when there was a mutual benefit. But any push to make this a standard approach across all businesses should be rejected, she said.

“It’s unrealistic to expect a mum and dad café to observe a four-day week simply because large corporations can,” she said.

When Medibank launched its four-day week trial, group lead for people, spaces and sustainability Kylie Bishop said it was about empowering employees to cut out low-value tasks and focus on doing work that had the greatest impact for customers.

Medibank’s trial was based on the 100:80:100 model advocated by global advocacy group 4 Day Week Global. Employees retain 100 per cent of their pay but reduce their working hours to 80 per cent while seeking to maintain 100 per cent of their productivity.

Ms Bishop told The Australian Financial Review Workforce Summit in February, 10 weeks into the trial, that the 250 participating employees had taken fewer sick days and were less stressed but just as productive. Macquarie Business School’s Health and Wellbeing Research Unit is monitoring the trial.

“It’s early days and there’s lots for us to learn, but [there are] some good early indicators that we’re seeing – and productivity has held,” Ms Bishop said.

Building momentum

Last July, Findex Group’s auditing arm, Crowe Australasia, became the first large audit and accounting practice in Australia to adopt a nine-day fortnight permanently.

It adopted the shorter fortnight after a six-month trial covering 340 employees demonstrated improvements in employee health and engagement, without a drop in output.

Unlike Bupa, Crowe required staff to work extended hours over nine days in return for getting every second Friday off work.

Findex Group co-chief executive Matt Games told the Financial Review at the time the nine-day fortnight made it easier to attract and retain talent and brought the best out of staff by helping them balance their work and personal lives.

Other companies that have introduced or experimented with a nine-day fortnight or four-day week include Unilever Australia, Grant Thornton, The Walk, Inventium, Tractor Ventures, Indebted, Good Empire, Commission Factory and Versa.