The other day, the Polish government announced that it intends to amend the Labor Code by 2027 in order to reduce working hours. The changes involve either the introduction of a four-day work week or a seven-hour work day. Currently, according to Eurostat, Poles work an average of 40.5 hours a week. At the same time, the average indicator in the EU is 37.5 hours, and the average global indicator is 34.2 hours.
The idea of a four-day work week is not new, but talk of such a format has been renewed during the COVID-19 pandemic, when workers and employers have rethought the importance of flexible working hours.
The idea of a shortened work week is simple: employees work four days a week, while the workload remains the same, as does the salary. Supporters of such a schedule cite the benefits of increased employee satisfaction due to maintaining a balance between work and personal life, as a result – increased productivity.
So which countries, besides Poland, are considering the idea of introducing a four-day work week, and which have already implemented such changes?
Belgium
Belgium became the first country in Europe (and the third in the world after Iceland and New Zealand) to officially introduce a four-day working week in 2022 as a new option for its workers without loss of salary. Citizens can decide for themselves whether to work four or five days a week, but the length of the working day will depend on this.
By introducing a four-day work week, the government hoped to make Belgium’s tight labor market more flexible and make it easier for people to combine family life with a career. The new model should also create a more dynamic economy.
According to Eurostat data, as of 2021, only about 71 out of 100 Belgians in the age group 20 to 64 have a job, which is less than the average for the euro area (about 73) and by as much as 10 p.p. less than in neighboring countries such as the Netherlands and Germany. The government has set a goal of reaching 80% employment in the country by 2030.
Germany
Germany already has one of the shortest working weeks in Europe – according to the World Economic Forum, the average working week here is 34.2 hours. However, trade unions are calling for further cuts.
Earlier this year, 45 German companies began testing the four-day work week as part of a six-month experiment.
According to a survey by Forsa, 71% of people working in Germany would like to be able to work only four days a week. Just over three-quarters of those polled said they supported the government exploring the possibility of introducing a four-day week. Among employers, more than two out of three interviewees supported the idea.
Whether the new format will be implemented at the national level or approved by the German government is currently unknown.
Portugal
Portugal has joined the list of countries testing the concept of a shortened working week. As part of the current pilot project, which is funded by the state and was announced at the beginning of June last year, 39 private companies have registered to participate in the initiative. They adhere to the “100:80:100 model” – 100% salary for 80% working time, subject to 100% productivity.
According to the report, 72% of people in Portugal work more than 40 hours a week – the country has the third longest working week in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.
Great Britain
Firms in the UK that trialled the four-day work week for six months are now planning to introduce the format permanently after the experiment was described as “hugely successful”.
Some 61 companies and more than 3,300 employees participated in the program, which was led by researchers from the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford and Boston College, as well as the organization 4 Day Week Global in 2022. The aim of the program was to examine the impact of a shortened working week on business productivity and employee well-being, as well as the impact on the environment and gender equality. The vast majority – 92% – of the companies that participated in the trial chose to maintain the four-day work week policy after the trial period ended.
As in Portugal, companies in Great Britain had to follow the “100:80:100 model”.
Spain
In December 2022, Spain launched a small pilot program of a four-day work week. Companies that expressed a desire to participate in the test could receive help from a government fund in the amount of 10 million euros, but independently had to develop ways to maintain or increase productivity. The pilot program is still ongoing.
Iceland
From 2015 to 2019, Iceland ran the world’s largest pilot of a 35-36-hour work week (down from the traditional 40 hours) with no reduction in pay. About 2,500 people took part in the test stage.
To ensure quality control, the results were analyzed by the British think tank Autonomy and the Icelandic non-profit Association for Sustainable Development and Democracy (ALDA). Researchers and Icelandic trade unions have hailed the pilot as a success. Currently, almost 90% of the working population of the country has a reduced working day or week. Employee stress and burnout are said to have decreased and work-life balance has improved.
Sweden
In Sweden, a four-day working week with maintenance of wages was tested in 2015. It was proposed to try a six-hour day instead of an eight-hour day without loss of pay. The results of the experiment were ambiguous, in particular due to the high cost of such a test. However, some companies, such as the automaker Toyota, have decided to keep the reduced working hours for their employees.
Japan
In 2021, the Japanese government announced a plan to achieve a better work-life balance in the country amid a high number of suicides due to work fatigue. One option considered was a four-day work week.
In 2019, tech giant Microsoft in Japan offered its employees three days off every week for a month. This move increased productivity by 40% and led to greater efficiency in the company.
Interest in the US and Canada
According to a survey by cloud software provider Qualtrics, 92% of US workers favor a shorter work week, even if it means longer hours. They cite improved mental health and increased productivity as benefits.
Three in four workers (74%) say they could do the same amount of work in four days, but the majority (72%) say they would have to work longer on weekdays to do so.
In Canada, 41% of employers surveyed are considering alternative hybrid schedules and new work formats following the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey of 1,000 employers in Canada found that 51% of large companies with more than 500 employees “are likely to implement a four-day work week.”
