Australia could soon ditch the five-day workweek. Landmark report shares recommendations

In an effort to improve work-life balance, the Senate work and care committee has recommended that Australia trial a four-day workweek across different sectors where employees work for 80% of their ordinary hours while maintaining their full productivity and output and receive their full salary.

Nevertheless, this is just a part of a series of recommendations made by the committee, which was appointed last August to focus on work and care balance.

While the Australian government has committed to increasing the paid parental leave (PPL) to 26 weeks by 2026 – from the current 20 weeks – and wants to pay superannuation on PL, the committee wants the PPL to be doubled to 52 weeks.

Other recommendations in the landmark report submitted by the committee include equal pay for equal work in the gig economy, an increase in remuneration for employees in childcare, disability and aged care, and the right to disconnect by not answering emails or phone calls outside work hours.

The Fair Work Commission must review the operation of the four-day workweek, including whether stronger penalties are required for employers who made staff work long hours, the committee has also proposed.

These all recommendations come as recent research shows companies that took part in the four-day workweek saw their revenue dramatically increase, with staff becoming more productive as well.

Australia was one of the countries involved in the large-scale study, released in December, alongside New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, the UK, and the US. Over a course of 10 months, roughly 1,000 employees at 33 companies in different sectors took part in the trial.

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