The Greens have launched a new push for the four-day work week, unveiling a plan to create a national institute to coordinate trials of the workplace initiative across the country and to back a Fair Work Commission test case.

On Monday the Greens announced a plan to pave the way for increased adoption of the four-day work week, which sees employees working 80 per cent of their regular hours for 100 per cent of their pay while maintaining 100 per cent productivity.

This would involve the creation of a new National Institute for the Four Day Work Week and a test case through the Fair Work Commission “aiming to reduce working hours with no loss of pay”, Greens Senator Barbara Pocock said.

“Ordinary Australians have been working hard for decades and not seeing a fair share of the results,” Pocock said.

“A four-day week will share more fairly the products of their labour. A shorter working week alleviates the burden of stress and burn-out.

“International trials have repeatedly shown productivity increases and a healthier happier workforce results from shorter working hours”

A global phenomenon

The Greens said Australia is now “lagging” behind many other comparable countries when it comes to the workplace issue.

Earlier this year it was announced that more than 5,000 workers in the United Kingdom will be able to work one fewer day per week, with 200 companies signing up to the concept.

Pocock said the expansion of the four-day week across the economy would be beneficial for all, with studies finding it improves mental and physical health for workers and can improve productivity and efficiency.

“Our society is changing, more women and carers are at work, yet we are constrained by archaic labour laws that see the fruits of our efforts swallowed up in profits for bosses and shareholders,” she said.

“This is about justice for working people. We work to live, not live to work.

“This is a policy that’s good for everyone. It can increase productivity, reduce absenteeism, improve recruitment and retention and give employees more time to manage their home life.

“This change will allow workers to create a working week that works for them.”

The four-day work week has been picking up steam in Australia, particularly thanks to the broader rethink of work culture and structures brought on by the COVID pandemic.

A trial involving 26 companies from Australia and New Zealand was launched in 2020, with most participants saying they would continue with the policy after its conclusion.

In 2023, government and Greens senators called for a trial of the four-day work week in the public service as part of a Senate inquiry, which heard “substantial” evidence about its effectiveness.

A number of studies into the four-day work week have found it can lead to significant improvements for physical and mental health, a decrease in sick and personal days being taken and an increase in retention.

Office policies an election issue

Workplace rights are shaping up to be a major issue in the upcoming election campaign.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton recently announced a plan to force all public servants to work from the office every day if the Coalition wins the upcoming election, leading to claims he was “blindly following” US President Donald Trump.

Dutton has also pledged to roll back the right to disconnect, which was passed last year with support from the government and the Greens.

The right prevents workers from being punished for not responding to unreasonable work-related communications outside of their paid hours.

It is currently in effect for businesses with 15 or more employees, and smaller businesses will be included from August.

A recent report found that this new right helped to slash the amount of unpaid overtime being worked by Australians by a third.