Is giving workers more time and flexibility the answer to Australia's productivity woes?
Taleesha says eschewing a conventional work hours makes more sense for her. (Source: Taleesha/Instagram/Getty)
Australians are working longer, but we're not necessarily working smarter. Growingconcerns about burnout in the workforcehas led to terms such as'quiet quitting'or'quiet cracking'entering the lexicon of a generation of disenchanted younger workers.
But some lucky employees are taking anincreasingly fresh approachto their jobs. Gen Z worker Taleesha Kamp, 26, is among those who microshift their work in order to use their productive time more efficiently.
The fashion design graduate says a typical 9 to 5 day no longer appeals to her, and believes the ad hoc nature of microshifting – in which you typically work in shorter bursts – allows her to work when it makes the most sense, rather than just conforming to past norms.
Taleesha lives in Ballarat and works for her family business which has two stores selling gold prospecting equipment and runs outback tours.
My job is primarily working from home and then going in and visiting the stores as well. I do all the computer work – so marketing, social media, the website, emails, all of that jazz, she toldYahoo Finance.
She's been working in the role for about the past two years, and previously worked at the head offices of global clothing giant Cotton On in Geelong. But in the wake of the pandemic, as millions of workers got a taste of working from home, it was a freedom she didn't want to give up.
We had [flexibility] during Covid but as time went on ... it was just not there as much anymore, she said. So I was looking for a role where I could be more flexible.
Taleesha works about 30 hours a week and says her current way of working is more about shifting the focus to outcomes rather than time spent.
I don't work fewer hours just because I do have this flexibility and microshift. I just work them at smarter times when I know that I'm feeling my best, my brain is working and functioning as it should, she said.
And that's not that's not even a typical schedule in itself like that still changes day-to-day, week-to-week, so I just microshift work around my life, but make sure the work still gets done.
The flexible approach allows her to work around other personal commitments and hobbies such as volunteering, other freelance jobs and horse riding lessons.
It gives me the time to really grow and come back to work feeling satisfied and with my mind working at the right frequency, she said.
When it comes to productivity, are we being honest?
While working for your parents is not an option for most people, Aussies who work for themselves have long enjoyed the benefits when it comes to taking back their time.
Melbourne business owner Anna Lozynski is also challenging conventional work expectations. As her own boss, she's enjoyed the freedom of microshifting when it comes to her legal advisory firm.
I have been experimenting with productive four-hour working days for a while now, she toldYahoo Financerecently.
Anna Lozynski says she microshifts with four hour work days. (Source: Anna Lozynski)
After leaving the corporate world in 2020 and having her first child in 2022, Anna needed a more practical and flexible approach to getting work down. That typically means doing four to six hours or work around other necessities of life.
Sometimes that might mean some longer delays when responding to her clients, but she says communication about her working style is key.
I've [previously] worked 120-hour weeks, she said. But if you actually sit down and be honest with yourself, how many productive hours of work have I done?
For her, she says about six hours a day will be her max output of true productivity.
Yahoo readers polled on the question seem to agree, with 40 per cent saying they are fully productive for about four to five hours in a given day, and a quarter saying they'll do six to seven hours of productive output a day.
A number of large companies in Australiahave experimented in recent years with giving their employees more of their time back, and in most cases they don't see a major drop off in overall output.
A Tasmanian council is the latest to join the trend,with workers set to be allowed to work just 30 hours a weekwhile retaining their full pay and benefits.
For businesses in some white collar industries, competing on providing workplace flexibility is becoming increasingly paramount in order to attract and retain talent. According to recent data from digital HR platform Remote, 14 per cent of companies reported missing out on hiring a desired candidate because another employer offered better flexibility.
Advocates of arrangements like microshifting say the status quo simply isn't working for everyone.
Arecent report from the Productivity Commissionfound that despite Australians experiencing a record increase in hours worked (6.9 per cent) in 2022-23, the longer days failed to produce a similar increase in economic output. In fact, productivity actually fell by 3.7 per cent.
Productivity growth is about working smarter, not working harder or longer, Productivity Commission deputy chair Alex Robson said.
For now, it remains to be seen if microshifting ever gets macro adoption.
