Bonny, Owen, and Nick all say that sick days have become a rarity at their companies. This is what they have in common

Bonny Marsh, Owen Windsor, and Nick Cantor all share one thing in common.

Speaking with nine.com.au, each says that sick days have become a rarity at their companies, a statement that many Aussie employers wish they too could make.

But the dramatic decline isn't because they've cracked the whip. It's because they've fundamentally changed the ways their companies function.

As the founders and directors of their companies, Marsh, Windsor and Cantor all decided to implement a four-day work week.

"It helps you to be refreshed and to have a life and to come into work and love your work ... you're refreshed and able to think clearly," says Cantor, Director and Co-Founder at The Walk Agency.

Each has their own reason for introducing a four-day work week, but all share two sentiments: Their employees are happier, and they have no plans to go back to a traditional five-day system.

When asked what benefits they've seen from the model, Marsh, Windsor, and Cantor all shared that not only has the well-being of employees exponentially improved, but it's also had a flow-on effect on the quality of the work produced.

"Employees tell us they feel more rested, more balanced, and more able to bring their best selves to work. That's exactly what we hoped for," says Windsor, Managing Director at Symbiote.

"From a business standpoint, we've seen improved productivity per hour, stronger talent attraction, reduced turnover, fewer sick days, and a more focused, outcome-driven culture."

Fewer sick days is one benefit that all three companies say they share, and with sick days being one of the most costly issues facing the Aussie workforce – multiple sources estimate that it could be costing billions annually – it's no wonder that Marsh, Windsor and Cantor have no intentions of switching back to the traditional five-day week.

But it wasn't smooth sailing at the start for everyone.

Cantor says that when The Walk Agency first trialled the idea of a four-day week, "it was basically a car crash".

"The hardest thing was actually the change to how people measured their own performance," he says.

He quickly learnt that the initiative isn't something that can be driven by the leaders of a company, rather it has to be driven by the employees who are being asked to "put their foot down and really nail their jobs".

The transition from five to four days a week isn't as simple as just taking an extra day off; it's about learning how to work more efficiently, which is why Cantor starts all his new hires on a traditional five-day model.

"The reason we do that is we train them to understand what 100 per cent output in five days is, and we do that over six months," he says.

And then we offer them the opportunity to do the four-day week, but they have to obviously own 100% output in four days."

He says no one has chosen to stay on the five-day model.

Each company operates on a "100/80/100" model, which Marsh, Chief Operating Officer & Co-founder of Truii, explains means that employees receive 100 per cent pay for 80 per cent time at 100 per cent productivity.

"The four-day week is not a pay cut, it's a productivity, wellbeing and sustainability initiative," Windsor adds.

While few companies have currently adopted the model, Marsh, Windsor and Cantor all say they see it as the future of the Aussie workforce.

"In our industry, focus and deep work matters. The four-day week has created the work environment that facilitates that," Marsh says.

"It requires a mindset shift for employers to move from time at work as a measure, to clearer communication around expectations and a shift to outputs as the measure."

"It forces communication, clear expectations, trust, and clarity. We continuously work to improve these."

Produced in partnership with CareerOne.