As a fervent partisan of the four-day work week, I was glad to see that the Australian men's test team has fallen in behind the movement at the beginning of January, sending its Second Test players off to the golf course a day early. I'm just baffled as to why more enterprises haven't joined us.

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A number of large companies - Medibank, Bunnings - have organised trials in their operations. There's a froth of academic articles arising out of these trials that indicates employees become healthier, happier, and more productive working a four-day week. It reduces staff absenteeism, reduces burnout and boosts retention. And once you start questioning longstanding static practices, it frees up your thoughts to begin on other unquestioned verities in your organisation, and that can lead to interesting developments.

Despite this, though, movement is glacial. The ACTU now supports the shorter week, but part of the problem is that unions no longer have the ability to make demands. It's possible, too, that companies are too tied up with dealing with working from home to be able to take on any further complications.

Excuses, excuses. The best time to do the right thing is always now. Start the new year with a big drive to the outfield.

The change has to be done right, certainly, and my own company, Our Community, has put out some useful material on how to go about it. You have to provide employees with........

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