The four-day week is a hot topic of conversation. It is said to be the solution to the shortage of skilled workers. Greater flexibility in working hours is expected to make employers more attractive, while more free time should ensure consistent or even higher productivity. This new working time model promises all this and much more.
However, two models are often sold as one
From my point of view, however, people are often talking about two different things here – they are mixing up reduced working hours with the same salary and compressed hours, i.e. full-time work spread over four days. But these two models differ significantly from each other. Let’s take a closer look at this in detail:
Option A: „The genuine four-day week“
Reduced working hours with full-time salary:
4 days, approximatelly 30 hours, full salary.
Employees are offered the opportunity to reduce their working hours by one day i.e. to work only 4 days instead of 5. Working hours are reduced by one day (usually eight hours), while the full-time salary remains unchanged.
This is a real bonus from employers for their employees. Of course, companies must be able to afford this and be willing to do so. If productivity actually remains at least the same or even increases with this model, then it would make perfect economic sense. In my opinion, however, certain conditions must be in place for this to work well.
How does it work?
- It requires a trusting corporate culture – such a model requires mutual trust and openness about working hours are key. This means moving away from presentism, where only attendance counts, and moving towards setting goals and working towards them within the available time.
- Clear guidelines are needed on how the model should be implemented in practice by employees and managers.
- What happens if you do have to work longer hours? Should it be paid overtime or time off in lieu? Or is it simply a case of give and take?
- Efficiency measures – if there is less time available, time must be saved somewhere. Rethinking and streamlining processes is an absolute must here.
Who has already successfully implemented this model?
Whatchado, Ueberall Scene and epunktare companies that have already taken the plunge, but they all have fewer than 300 employees, a manageable number of staff and fairly straightforward working time models. It would be interesting to know whether large companies with a high number of employees could also be successful with this model. The UK is certainly a pioneer in this area, with many large companies such as Gov.uk and Unilever already trialling it with their employees. According to the UK media reports, it has been a complete success! This model has even been enshrined in Belgian law since February 2022.
Option B: „The
4-day week hat is currently being promoted“
Compressed hours:
Full-time hours divided over four days with full pay
Employees are offered the opportunity to complete their full working hours in four days giving them an extra day off per week. This means that instead of working eight hours per day (in a 40-hour week), they work ten hours per day. The full-time salary remains unchanged.
An important point about this model, however, is that it is more employer-friendly. There are no overtime bonuses, as employees are permitted/required to work longer hours from the outset. If the working day exceeds 10 hours, however, overtime regulations naturally apply.
Who came up with this idea?
This type of work arrangement was originally introduced as a way to better cover peak periods (e.g. seasonal production peaks). I remember this model well from my time in the UK between 2002 and 2008, when it was already common practice and it impressed me even back then.
This model is actually nothing new, but it is currently experiencing a resurgence.
As a young person, I was personally a fan of this model because I travelled a lot and it allowed me to be more flexible with my travel times. However, from today’s perspective, it would no longer be feasible for me as a working mum – working 9-10 hours a day for four days in a row would represent challenges with regard to childcare. Current childcare options do not cover these working hours, so unless a home office arrangement is possible, I see this model as impractical.
Who has already successfully implemented this model?
Manufacturing companies such as KTM have tried it, but then stopped the experiment. For a large manufacturing company, it is clearly a challenge to adapt the familiar shift work system to only four days. What would you do if no machines were operating on the fifth day?
The supermarket chain Lidl is also trailling it. There is no official empirical data on this yet, as it is still in the „trial period“. The compressed working week has been in place at the 25hours Hotel since 2022. The hotel is very satisfied with this approach and has been communicating its success in the media.
The last working hours reform gave us Saturdays off
This reform took place quite some time ago (after the Second World War) – at that time, when working hours were reduced and Saturdays were eliminated, resulting in the 40-hour week.
What were the consequences?
Companies continued to make profits and productivity rose steadily. Past experience therefore suggests that the model of reduced working hours with full-time pay is effective and has advantages. From an economic point of view, however, there are of course also concerns.
Employees hourly wages increase and additional workers are needed to cover a certain number of hours for the model to work. Unless companies expand/scale up, productivity can of course also be increased substantially.
My conclusion
In my opinion, there is no „one size fits all“ approach when it comes to working hours.
I suggest talking to employees and understand their needs. Would employees even want a four-day week? Everyone is at a different stage in their life with different needs, and these should be taken into account rather than blindly following every trend.
There is no question that working hours need to be overhauled; the law alone is long out of date and does not correspond at all to the „New Work“ philosophy of combining work and private life. Revising the legal basis would be my top priority as it would give employees more flexibility and help to counteract the labour shortage. Belgium has set a good example, and it is time for us to follow suit.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca once said:
„It is not that we have too little time, but that we waste too much of it.“
