Blog
Table of contents
A long weekend every second week without harming productivity – perhaps even improving it? That’s the premise behind the 9-day fortnight. Plenty of organisations and government departments now offer this type of work arrangement as a perk, with benefits for both employee and employer. We offer it for our own teams here at HumanX HR.
So how does the 9-day fortnight work, how do you calculate it, and is it actually the right fit for your organisation? Let’s get into it.
What Is a 9-Day Fortnight?
A 9-day fortnight is a type of compressed work arrangement where employees work their usual full-time hours across nine days instead of ten. This allows employees to take one day off every second week. Employees don’t work fewer hours overall; their hours are simply compressed into fewer days.
Because this type of arrangement works so well alongside a weekend, the day off is often a Monday or Friday. Sometimes employees are given the choice of a weekday. Teams are often split into two groups so that the business always has its bases covered without affecting service availability.
9-Day Fortnight vs 4-Day Work Week: What's the Difference?
The simple difference is that employees receive one in ten days off rather than one in five, but there are some other nuances to consider.
Four-day work weeks in Australia commonly follow the "100:80:100" framework, which provides 100% pay for 80% of weekly hours, as long as the employees can maintain 100% productivity. In contrast, a 9-day fortnight doesn’t tend to change total pay or hours worked.
Here are the differences set out more clearly:
One isn’t a better option than the other; it’s simply a case of using the best model for the organisation.
9-Day Fortnight Calculator?
Calculating daily hours for a 9-day fortnight is straightforward, so a 9-day fortnight calculator isn’t really needed. The formula’s as simple as dividing total fortnightly hours by 9 rather than 10.
daily hours = total fortnightly hours ÷ 9
For someone working a standard 38-hour working week (7.6 hours per day), that would mean dividing 76 by 9 to produce daily work hours of 8.444. This means the employee would work 8 hours and 26 minutes over nine days and then have the tenth day off.
Some employers choose to absorb a reduction in total fortnight hours instead of extending daily hours. This is really a decision to make on an individual business basis. If there’s strong internal trust in the organisation and everyone gives full effort when they are working, this situation can result in productivity and efficiency being met or even exceeded.
Benefits of a 9-Day Fortnight for Employers and Employees
A lot of the benefits of a 9-day fortnight apply for both employees and employers; it tends to be a win-win situation.
- For employees, a 9-day fortnight can make it easier to attend appointments, enjoy long weekends, and maintain a good work-life balance.
- This in turn can support employee wellbeing and mental health, and improve employee sentiment so they’re more likely to stay engaged in their work.
- For employers, a 9-day fortnight can boost their employee value proposition and long-term employee retention, encouraging quality talent to join and stay in the business.
- A 9-day fortnight can also shave off a day of commuting regularly, freeing up time and parking spaces while lowering collective carbon footprints.
- This all comes with lower operational disruption when compared with a full 4-day week.
What can be really surprising are the business outcomes. After all, when employees feel supported, they’re more likely to turn up reliably and give their all.
In one trial of 16 organisations using a compressed work arrangement, rates of absenteeism fell by an average of 44% and over half of employees reported an increase in the quality of their work. Accounting and Consulting firm Grant Thornton made their 9-day fortnight permanent after a 12-month trial showed a boost in productivity, retention and staff wellbeing, with 94% supporting the permanent policy.
Practical Challenges of the 9-Day Fortnight to Plan For
The 9-day fortnight, of course, isn’t a cure-all, and it can also have its implications. Here are some of the more common ones to consider before you add this arrangement to your HR policies and procedures:
- Maintaining production or service quality.
If your organisation needs to be available or operational across all five days of the week, consider rotating the days off so there’s always someone there.
- The risk of fatigue or burnout
Employees might be working longer hours on working days, which can be counteracted with clear workload management and respecting the right to disconnect on days off.
- Addressing any workplace management bottlenecks
Failing to address structural holdups can cause stress when more flexible work is implemented. Ensure fundamentals like platforms and handovers are working smoothly.
- Added scheduling complexity
Naturally, it can become more difficult to coordinate schedules for collaboration or meetings. Designating meeting-free or all-staff days of the week can help.
- Keeping it fair
Perks for some and not for all can breed resentment. Aim to keep the arrangement fair and consistent across the business or team as much as possible.
How to Implement a 9-Day Fortnight in Your Organisation
The best way to implement a 9-day fortnight will often be with a trial before assessing its suitability as a permanent policy. Here’s the broad process for getting that started:
- Assess suitability
Determine whether your operations are compatible with a 9-day fortnight and which employee roles would realistically suit this arrangement.
- Consult with stakeholders
This will typically include consulting with employees, managers, and unions if relevant. Getting buy-in from the executive level is also essential before implementing a trial.
- Document the policy
Set out a clear written policy that covers rostering, expectations, handling of overtime and leave accrual, and any limitations for certain days of the week.
- Run the trial period
A trial could be run in one team or department, or applied across the organisation. It might run for 3, 6 or even 12 months depending on the circumstances.
- Assess the metrics
During and after the trial period, look at key metrics including engagement, productivity, and customer satisfaction if relevant. Adjust the policy’s details as needed.
- Check in with stakeholders
Gather feedback from employees and managers, and consider any changes that have shown up in employee relations and performance management. Pulse surveys can be useful in gaining insight.
A note on compliance: It’s imperative that employers check relevant modern awards or enterprise agreements before changing existing working patterns. It’s also worth seeking HR or legal advice to ensure compliance will be maintained before rolling out any changes.
Is a 9-Day Fortnight Right for Your Business?
A shorter fortnight can benefit employee wellbeing, engagement and organisational outcomes, and is often a lower-disruption alternative to a 4-day work week. It tends to suit organisations where output (be it goods or services) can be managed on a flexible basis.
Whether you implement a 9-day fortnight, and how you do so, is really up to each business. What’s most important is getting the details right to ensure compliance is consistently met and outcomes aren’t negatively impacted.
If you would like some advice on your HR strategy and policies, or to simply design a 9-day fortnight trial that suits your business and meets compliance, HumanX HR provides outsourced HR and HR consulting services that are perfectly suited to the task. We’d be happy to give tailored advice and help you find the right balance for a healthy, productive workforce.
9-Day Fortnight FAQs
What is a 9-Day Fortnight?
A 9-day fortnight is a work arrangement where total fortnightly working hours are split across nine days, so employees can have one business day off every two weeks.
How do You Calculate a 9-day Fortnight?
Calculating daily work hours is as simple as dividing total fortnightly hours by 9 instead of 10. Some employers prefer to absorb the extra hours so that daily work hours don’t change.
Does a 9-Day Fortnight Reduce Pay?
No, not typically. Instead, the full hours are spread over nine days instead of 10, so employees might work around 50 minutes extra on each day they do work.
How Many Extra Days off Do You Get In a Year With a 9-Day Fortnight?
Given that average full-time workers in Australia work 46 to 48 weeks once standard entitlements are taken into account, that means someone working a 9-day fortnight could expect 23 to 24 additional days off each year.
Is a 9-Day Fortnight the Same as a 4-Day Work Week?
The premise is the same in that they both offer more flexibility, but the key difference is that a 4-day work week provides one day off every week while the 9-day fortnight provides one day off every two weeks. Total pay and total time worked can also vary.
How Does Annual Leave Work With a 9-Day Fortnight?
Annual leave typically accrues in the same way as the standard format, but is based on total hours worked rather than calendar days.
