Murrumbidgee Council is considering reducing the work week for its staff. Photo: Murrumbidgee Council.
A Riverina council is exploring whether a four-day work week will allow it to deliver more to its ratepayers for less, despite recent international evidence casting doubt on how well this initiative actually works.
Murrumbidgee Council – based around Darlington Point, Coleambally and Jerilderie – is considering giving staff the option of working their standard 35 hours across Monday to Thursday, giving them a long weekend every week instead of them spreading their work over a full five days.
Like many regional councils, it says it is grappling with rising costs while taking on additional responsibilities from the NSW and Federal governments, often without extra funding. Rather than shifting that burden onto ratepayers through a special rate rise, the council says it is looking inward for savings.
“This is not about reducing services. It is about delivering the same level of service more efficiently and sustainably,” general manager John Scarce said.
“Longer days mean more flexible access for residents, while also helping us better manage travel and resources across our local government area.”
The Australian Parliament Library has reviewed global trials of shortened work weeks and found the results are mixed.
It highlighted Microsoft Japan’s much-publicised 2019 trial, which reported a 40 per cent productivity boost – a figure often cited by advocates. But it also highlights less flattering results.
“Other studies highlight challenges such as fatigue, scheduling issues and heavier workloads after breaks, and suggest some employees view reduced hours primarily as a way to escape work, rather than improve engagement,” the report noted.
Travel and logistics are a significant part of Murrumbidgee Council’s operations, which covers almost 7000 square kilometres – a key reason it believes the model could work locally.
Under the proposal, staff would still work their full weekly hours, but across four longer days from Monday to Thursday, with council offices, depots and libraries closed on Fridays.
There would be no reduction in total service hours. Instead, the existing 35 hours of weekly customer service would be delivered across four extended days, offering longer daily opening times.
According to the council, the model could generate productivity savings of about $1.1 million per year by cutting travel time and reducing the need to repeatedly set up and pack down worksites.
It estimates the change would eliminate up to 26 days each year spent mobilising and demobilising plant and equipment, with some job sites sitting an average 160-kilometre round trip from council depots.
The council also argues the model would improve responsiveness, with more staff working simultaneously rather than spread across rostered days off.
Other touted benefits include greater flexibility for residents, reduced fuel use and emissions, and an improved ability to attract and retain skilled workers in a tight labour market.
Essential services would continue to operate as normal, including water and sewer, animal control, emergency callouts, early learning and childcare, caravan parks and swimming pools.
For now, the four-day week remains under assessment — part of what the council describes as a broader effort to secure its long-term financial sustainability.
