Research summarized by multiple outlets says 15 Australian companies trialling a four-day work week generally continue the arrangement after testing it. The study finds that all but one company that took part choose to keep the shorter schedule, and none report a decrease in productivity. The coverage frames the shift in the context of long-running debates about how technology changes work and time use. One article references a 1930 essay by economist John Maynard Keynes, who predicted that future technological progress would reduce the amount of human labor needed and lead to much shorter working weeks. In the reporting, the trial outcomes are presented as “surprisingly well,” emphasizing that the change does not appear to harm output according to participating employers. Overall, the sources describe a move away from a five-day model in a set of Australian workplaces, alongside reported stability in productivity and a high rate of continuation after the trial period.
Australian firms report continued four-day work week after trials
Research summarized by multiple outlets says 15 Australian companies trialling a four-day work week generally continue the arrangement after testing it. The study finds that all but one company that t...
- 15 Australian companies trial a four-day work week.
- All but one company decide to continue with the four-day schedule.
- Participating firms report no loss of productivity.
- The reporting connects the workplace change to historical views on technology reducing working time, including a Keynes prediction.
In a 1930 essay, British economist John Maynard Keynes predicted that in 100 years time, technological advances would have displaced so much human labor that people would be working 15-hour weeks—if they worked at all.
3 months agoAll but one of the companies researchers studied decided to continue with a four-day work week. And none reported a loss of productivity.
3 months ago
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