Bendigo Truss Plant owner Geoff Holland said he liaised with staff last week to negotiate the best way to cope with the heatwave. 

"We had a discussion with staff," he said. 

"We usually start at 6.30am so we decided to start at 5.30am.

"That way staff can leave at 2.15pm. 

"We'll do that for the rest of the week.

"We work in a factory, but it doesn't have air-conditioning, so it still gets hot.

"A good by-product of leaving at 2.15pm is also that we can alleviate some of the pressure on the power grid. 

"We use a lot of machinery so if we can have that all off by 5pm when everyone will be getting home from work and cranking up the air-con, that's great."

City of Greater Bendigo parks and natural reserves manager Simon Harrison said the council did not have a heat policy for staff who worked outdoors, but staff were encouraged to start earlier. 

“The City of Greater Bendigo does not have a heat policy in place, however our outdoor staff are accustomed to the heat and take extra care to remain hydrated in these conditions," he said. 

“Where possible, the City also works with staff to implement flexible working conditions, whereby staff can start earlier on days when it is hot.

"We also look at opportunities to adjust the works schedule to try to avoid keeping staff outdoors for long stretches during hot weather."