Four-Day Work Week
Murrumbidgee Council is progressing a four-day compressed work week trial to improve productivity, support financial sustainability and continue delivering quality services to the community. Find out more about the trial, what it means for our community and how the arrangement will be implemented and reviewed.
Current status
At its meeting on 30 July 2026, Council resolved to develop an agreement for a four-day compressed work week, with staff working Monday to Thursday.
The proposed arrangement will be for a 15-month period, allowing for a review after 12 months. The review will consider the performance measures included in the agreement, a staff vote and a vote by elected representatives to determine whether the four-day work week should continue beyond the 15-month period.
The proposed commencement date is 1 January 2027, subject to the completion of the agreement and final planning.
About the four-day week
What is a four-day compressed work week?
A compressed work week means employees continue to work their full weekly hours, but those hours are worked across four days instead of five.
Under the proposed arrangement:
- Staff would work Monday to Thursday.
- Staff would continue to work their full weekly hours.
- Council offices, depots and libraries would generally be closed on Fridays.
- Essential and critical services would continue to operate as required.
- Customer service hours would be provided across Monday to Thursday.
- The arrangement would be monitored against agreed performance measures.
The proposal is not a reduction in working hours or a four-day working week with fewer hours.
Why is Council introducing a four-day work week trial?
Council is looking at new ways to improve productivity, make the best use of its workforce and support the long-term financial sustainability of Council.
Murrumbidgee Council covers a large geographic area, with staff regularly travelling significant distances between towns and work sites. A compressed work week may provide opportunities to reduce travel, improve productivity and make better use of staff time.
The trial will allow Council to test whether the proposed arrangement delivers these benefits while continuing to provide appropriate services to the community.
What are the benefits?
The proposal is being trialled as part of broader efforts to improve efficiency, reduce operational costs and maintain services to the community into the long term.
One of the biggest opportunities identified is reducing travel time.
Across our large local government area, a huge amount of time is spent travelling between depots, offices and work sites.
Outdoor crews currently travel an average of around 160 kilometres return to job sites, while many indoor staff also regularly travel between towns and facilities.
By reducing travel days, the initiative is expected to deliver productivity savings of around $1.1 million annually. These are expected to come mainly from reduced travel, fewer work site set-ups and pack-ups, more efficient scheduling and having more staff working at the same time.
Other potential benefits include:
- More time spent on productive work
- Improved coordination with more staff working the same days
- Reduced fuel use and emissions
- Greater ability to attract and retain staff in a competitive labour market
Services and operations
Will Council services continue on Fridays?
Essential and key services will continue to operate as required. This includes water and sewer services, animal control and emergency callouts, early learning and childcare, the Darlington Point Riverside Caravan & Tourist Park, swimming pools and the Jerilderie Waste Depot. Staff will continue to respond to urgent situations and emergencies outside normal operating hours.
Will customer service hours change?
Council offices and other standard customer service locations will generally be closed on Fridays, with customer service hours provided across Monday to Thursday. The final operating hours are still being worked through as part of the implementation process.
Will Jerilderie Library's opening days change?
Yes. Jerilderie Library will operate Monday to Thursday instead of Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Storytime will be held on one of those days.
Will the Jerilderie Waste Depot continue to be open on Friday?
The Jerilderie Waste Depot is expected to continue operating on Fridays. Council is reviewing landfill operations as part of its broader work to improve efficiency and manage costs.
Staff and the trial
What hours will staff work?
Staff will continue to work their full weekly hours across four days. Outdoor staff will work 38 hours per week and indoor staff will work 35 hours per week. Start and finish times have not yet been finalised and staff will have an opportunity to provide input.
Have staff been consulted?
Yes. Staff have been involved throughout the process through information sessions, face-to-face consultation, the Consultative Committee and a staff ballot. The March 2026 ballot found that 75 per cent of staff preferred a Monday to Thursday compressed work week.
How long will the trial run?
The agreement will run for 15 months, with a review after 12 months. The review will consider agreed performance measures, staff feedback and a vote by elected representatives before a decision is made about continuing the arrangement beyond the initial 15-month period.
Community and staff engagement
Council has undertaken a staged engagement process with staff and the community to provide information about the four-day work week, answer questions and understand how the proposed arrangement could affect residents, businesses and staff.
Engagement has included:
- two media releases
- social media posts
- letterbox drops
- newsletter articles
- website information, including a comprehensive Questions and Answers section
- staff information sessions
- consultation with the Consultative Committee
- a staff ballot
- community consultation and surveys
- nine in-person community consultation events.
Staff engagement
Staff have been involved throughout the process through information sessions, consultation with the Consultative Committee and opportunities to ask questions and provide feedback.
A staff ballot conducted in March 2026 found that 75 per cent of staff preferred a Monday to Thursday compressed work week.
Staff will continue to have input into the implementation of the trial, including proposed working hours.
Community engagement
Community engagement was undertaken in two stages.
Stage 1 provided residents and businesses with an opportunity to provide feedback by email, including how the proposed Friday closure of Council offices and depots could affect them personally or professionally. Council received 12 responses during the first stage.
Stage 2 provided a further opportunity for residents and ratepayers to provide feedback and for Council to better understand the community's views on the four-day work week.
Council held nine in-person consultation events, attended by a total of 20 people. Discussions mainly focused on how the arrangement would work, potential productivity improvements and expected financial savings.
Community survey
The second stage of consultation received 49 responses. Five responses were excluded from the analysis because the respondents did not provide sufficient information to verify that they were local residents or ratepayers.
The remaining 44 verified responses represent approximately 1.7 per cent of Murrumbidgee Council's estimated adult population, based on 2021 Census data.
The purpose of the engagement was not simply to measure support or opposition. It was to better understand the community's views, including why residents believed the four-day work week could work, why they had concerns about it or whether they had no strong opinion either way.
Feedback covered a range of views, including potential productivity and financial benefits, service accessibility, outdoor operations, workforce impacts and suggestions for how the arrangement could operate.
Council also sought to understand how closing Council offices and depots on Fridays could affect residents and businesses. Only a small number of respondents indicated that they could only access Council on a Friday.
What happens next?
Council will now work through the agreement and final planning required to implement the four-day compressed work week.
The proposed trial is scheduled to commence on 1 January 2027.
The agreement will run for 15 months, with a formal review after 12 months.
The review will consider:
- performance measures included in the agreement
- the effectiveness and productivity of the arrangement
- service delivery and operational impacts
- a staff vote
- a vote by elected representatives.
The review will help determine whether the four-day work week should continue beyond the initial 15-month agreement period.
Community engagement documents
Information and documents from the consultation process are available below, including the community survey results and information provided during the engagement process.