Global company Unilever launches Australian four-day work week trial

A multinational has become the latest company to take the leap to a four-day work week as it starts a 12-month trial in Australia.

As momentum for the four-day work week gathers pace, one multinational has become the latest in Australia to make the leap of faith.

Unilever, the multinational behind a catalogue of 400 products, including Dove soap, Magnum ice cream, and Lynx, had recently completed an 18-month trial of the four-day work week in its New Zealand operations.

The trial, which concluded in June, saw a 34 per cent drop in absenteeism, a 33 per cent drop in stress and a 67 per cent drop in work-life conflict.

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Unilever Australia will trial a four-day work week after success in New Zealand. Picture: John Thys

According to Unilever, the trial, which saw all 80 staff retain full pay, delivered 100 per cent of its business targets with 80 per cent of the work time.

Australian employees can choose which day or set of hours is most suitable for them to take off, providing it also works for the teams they are part of.

The trial also hopes to achieve “less frequent but more efficient meetings” and “fewer emails”.

“By removing project processes and protocols that add less value, throughout our week, we are able to free up time to work on items that matter most to the people we serve, externally and internally,” Nicky Sparshott, CEO of Unilever ANZ, said.

“The experiment builds on Unilever’s ambition to enhance the wellbeing of both its people and business.

“Bringing the trial to Australia is an opportunity to explore different ways to unlock more value for the team and the business across both markets.”

Unilever Australia and New Zealand CEO Nicky Sparshott. Picture: Nikki Short

The trial will begin on November 14 and will run for 12 months.

Staff will retain 100 per cent of their salaries while working 80 per cent of the time but are expected to deliver 100 per cent of business outcomes.

The announcement follows recent calls for Australian companies to adopt the four-day work week amid a broader global push towards the practice.

In Victoria, the Greens even made a $60 million state election promise around the practice after the Community and Public Sector Union lobbied political parties on the issue.

Originally published as Global company Unilever launches Australian four-day work week trial