Unilever is to extend the four day week.

Unilever is to extend its trial of a four-day working week to 500 employees in Australia after a successful 18-month pilot in New Zealand, becoming the most prominent company yet to offer a vote of confidence in the shorter schedule. The trial extension represents a boost to the global campaign for four-day programs, which argues that the shorter week helps staff become happier, healthier and more productive. «Unilever is showing the world that a four-day week with no loss of pay is a win-win scenario for both workers and employers,» said Joe Ryle, director of the UK’s 4 Day Week Campaign. Unilever said absenteeism had fallen a third during its New Zealand trial, which Australia’s UTS Business School monitored.

Unilever asks employees taking part in the trials to continue delivering «100 per cent for the business» but does not expect them to work longer hours. Instead, staff can choose which day or set of hours they take off during the week. Depending on the results in Australia, Unilever will consider rolling out the four-day week to more of its 148,000 employees globally. The campaign for a four-day week has gained traction, with large-scale trials observed by researchers taking place in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.

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