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Is a four day work week possible?

2024-06-26 09:11:00, Blog CNA

Source, Stefan Boness/IPON/imago images

A carpet cleaning company, a construction company, a marketing agency - these are just some of the companies taking part in the biggest ever project in Germany, which is related to the introduction of a four-day working week. "Four days" is the name of this experiment. How and in what form the working hours of the employees will be reduced is left in the hands of the companies themselves, i.e. their managers from the beginning.

Some companies used the classic model: Friday free for all. Others have allowed their employees to work five days a week for four weeks and then take the entire fifth week off. Or the daily working hours of employees have been shortened. But how has the four-day work week worked out over the past five months?

What happened to the employees of Kootstra Schiffsreisen?

On the wall of the office of tour operator Kootstra Schiffsreisen in Münster, a colorful urban plan has been hanging since February, which resembles a carpet made of different rags. The company divided the employees into two groups: half have a day off on Monday, the other half on Friday. The office has been much emptier since then. Also, they have had to cut back on the time they have to answer the phone in order to work more productively.

"Everyone had their ups and downs," says director Julius Gräler in the fifth month of the pilot project. From the beginning he was convinced that the weekly working hours should be reduced and he wanted to try it in his company.

Source, BBO/McPHOTO/imago images

This tour operator organizes bike tours, mainly in the Netherlands, but also some other things. Now, just before the summer holidays, their peak season is approaching. However, a little while ago there were floods and overflows of the Danube, which affected their tourism work. The four-day work week for this company was not only positive. "This also caused stress for the employees because a lot of work was left unfinished due to their day off," says Gräler.

Positive feedback

When asked if it was still worth it, the director's answer is clear: "It is noticeable that people feel more relaxed, that they subjectively did not have a problem with completing their tasks in reduced working hours." Employees no longer worked overtime. schedule, productivity remained the same and feedback from others was positive.

About 80 percent of employees rated the project as successful, Gräler says. Although this means additional organizational effort for him as a boss, he wants to continue the four-day work week even after the end of the experimental project.

Employees want more flexible working hours

Julia Backmann from the University of Münster analyzes data from the study. She and her colleagues talk regularly with companies, that is, with employers and employees. Employees voluntarily wear smartwatches: fitness watches that measure heart rate and, say, sleep quality.

In all companies, this project does not work as well as at Kootstra Schiffreisen in Münster, says Julia Backmann. That much can be said at this point - although the data has yet to be formally analyzed.

Burimi, DW

"We are more interested in seeing the perspective of the employees," says the researcher. "Many of them see the four-day work week positively, while there are others who are skeptical. If, for example, you work an extra hour each day to get a day off, depending on the field you work in, some experience him as a great burden." Her conclusion is that many employees want more flexible working hours, but that do not necessarily have to be spread over four days.

A chance in the fight against the lack of qualified workers

And what experiences have employers or companies had with the four-day work schedule? Julia Backmann observed that reduced working hours with the same workload could not always be respected by employees and that adaptation was difficult for some companies, depending on the economic branch, size or business culture of the company. But companies also had advantages and benefited from this model. "When companies promoted four-day working hours in job competitions, the number of applications increased significantly, while the quality of candidates did not decrease.

"It's a big chance, because the lack of skilled workers has caused many companies to participate in the study," notes Julia Backmann, who is cautiously optimistic. She notes that a four-day work week isn't right for every company, but that it can bring advantages to many. The results of the study will be analyzed in detail now and will be officially presented in the fall./ DW