interview
45 companies tested the four-day week for six months. Most companies and employees draw a positive conclusion, although implementation was not always easy.
Capital: In your project, 45 companies and organizations tried out the four-day week for six months. Is this a model for everyone?
CARSTEN MEIER: We do not make this claim. The aim was to see in which industries and companies it could work under what conditions. There is currently no objective data on this topic in Germany. But we need that in order to talk about it objectively.
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Who took part?
It was important to us to reflect the diversity of the German economy, including craft businesses, daycare centers and care facilities, as well as industrial companies and e-commerce start-ups. The study in England primarily involved agencies and knowledge workers for whom implementing a four-day week is easier. This was also often criticized. But we wanted to investigate whether these ideas could also work in industrial companies or in crafts.
A few companies got cold feet right from the start.
Six dropped out in the planning phase. Some of them struggled with the poor economic situation, others lacked the internal resources that could have managed and managed such a project. The implementation and evaluation takes time, we conduct interviews with employees and managers, there are training courses, and some employees wear fitness trackers. Sometimes the staff or works council also spoke out against it.
What did the four-day week look like?
There were different models. It was required that companies shorten working hours and pay full wages. Almost half then opted for 10 percent less work, a fifth for the classic four-day week with a 20 percent reduction in working hours. And some also worked an average of four and a half days.
What effects have you noticed among employees?
Well-being increases. Those affected move more, are more active and sleep 45 minutes longer per week than the control group. This was measured using fitness trackers. The feedback on stress and burnout among these people has decreased significantly. The fitness tracker results also show that people report less stress than those in the five-day week control group. However, it increased the most on Saturdays for both groups, which surprised us. We suspect that people here are causing themselves social stress.
Did the companies suffer losses due to the reduced working hours?
The companies’ sales have remained largely the same. The four-day week was therefore not a cost factor. This was possible because labor productivity increased slightly. Of course, this can vary from company to company; different models are implemented. There is no “one size fits all model” that I can simply click on; switching to the four-day week takes work at first.
How were these productivity gains achieved?
The companies have simplified their processes, reduced distractions, and a good half have changed the meeting culture, meaning fewer and shorter conferences. A quarter of respondents have introduced digital tools to work more efficiently. This potential lies dormant in many companies. But you have to lift it first and that takes work. It was very helpful to ask and involve the employees themselves.
But what about companies that have already been fully optimized?
It’s more difficult here! This is especially the case in large companies. We want to look at this in a follow-up study that focuses on large companies.
What is the greatest added value for companies?
For example, we had a larger daycare chain take part that didn’t know how to fill their positions. Since they have been advertising a four-day week, they have been able to choose their educators. The number of applicants has tripled. A four-day week can noticeably increase your attractiveness as an employer. Less work can be a solution to the shortage of skilled workers here. The majority of medium-sized and small companies were represented in our study, some of which are in talent competition with large corporations. While large corporations can often score points with higher salaries, smaller companies could counteract this with better working time models.
What happens next – will companies pull through?
Three quarters of the companies plan to do this, ten percent are now putting the experiment on hold but want to think about it again in the future. This is a pleasingly high level of approval given the difficult economic situation. Approval is even greater among employees. 90 percent would like to continue the model. I am optimistic that the four-day week – alongside issues such as working from home – will become an integral part of the working world of tomorrow.
Source: Stern
