In 2022, Marilla Akkermans quietly ran an experiment on the clients of her Melbourne advertising agency. Would they notice if her staff started working four days each week instead of five? The same workload, but being more efficient in getting it done. Fewer meetings and less wasted time.

The answer, it turns out, was a resounding no. Since then, staff at Equality Media + Marketing, a 22-strong business based in Richmond in the city’s inner south-east, have run on a four-day schedule.