Launceston's Stillwater co-owners Bianca and James Welsh, Craig Will and Chris McNally know what it takes to stay in the hospitality game for the long haul.
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Their years of experience has led them to backing the four-day working week by changing their restaurant's opening hours, including stopping breakfast service.
Ms Welsh said they would be transitioning key permanent, full-time staff to four-day weeks, with many of those employees having been with the business for around a decade.
Hospitality is mentally and physically brutal.
- Bianca Welsh
She said changing working hours had helped give her staff better work life balance.
"It means a lot to offer our staff this, it means longevity to stay in the industry too," Ms Welsh said.
"Since COVID-19 we've been competing against industry, we've lost so many to other industries."
The growing trend of employees seeking flexible working arrangements, Ms Welsh said made them consider how to offer that in a viable way for the business.
One Stillwater manager moved to a four-day week at the start of the year, and Ms Welsh said the change had made a positive impact on their motivation and productivity.
"Hospitality is mentally and physically brutal," she said.
Ms Welsh said adjusting shift times to be a fraction longer, and in some cases increasing an employees responsibility, had made up for some of those lost hours required in a 38 hours full-time week.
"There's been no change to people's pay, if anything there's been an increase in responsibility being taken on," she said.
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