Germany to test four-day work week

A pilot project will be launched in Germany to test the four-day workweek system. More than 50 companies are expected to participate in the project, which will be carried out by Berlin-based consulting firm Intraprenör.

According to Deutsche Welle, within the framework of the project the companies will work four days a week for six months. In this process, working time will be reduced to 80 percent, but productivity and wages will remain at 100 percent.

The goal of the project is to measure the effects of a four-day work week on productivity, work-life balance, and employee satisfaction.

EMPLOYEES ARE WELCOME

According to a survey by the Hans Böckler Foundation, 73 percent of German employees are willing to work four days a week, as long as the money they earn is the same.

17 percent of respondents oppose working four days a week. It is stated that this group likes to work, they are worried that the reduction in working hours will change the work system and they think that they will not be able to finish their work.

DISTANCE MEDIUM SCALE COMPANIES

The Association of Medium Enterprises, on the other hand, is far from working four days a week. The Union believes that individual solutions between employers and workers may be possible, but opposes possible intervention by the State.

The union’s general secretary, Christoph Ahlhaus, says that reducing working hours can lead to a decrease in productivity and maintains that companies will suffer first and everyone will suffer later.

IG METAL: A LONG-TERM PROBLEM

Germany’s largest union, IG Metall, believes that discussions about a four-day working week should take into account Germany’s competitiveness in the metal and electronics industries.

IG Metall president Jörg Hofmann said the four-day working week model will not be on IG Metall’s list of demands in next year’s collective bargaining agreement negotiations and that it is an “issue long term”.

IT ALSO APPLIED IN ENGLAND

The same project was previously implemented in England and the companies obtained a positive balance at the end of the project. 56 of the 61 companies participating in the project in England said they would continue with the four-day workweek system.

During the trial period, the rate of employees receiving sick leave decreased by 65 percent, while the rate of employees leaving their jobs decreased by 57 percent. According to analysis by experts from Boston and Cambridge, an average increase of 1.4 percent in the companies’ sales volume was recorded during the test period.