According to the agreement reached between the ministers of the governing coalition of Belgium, which is assured of approval in Parliamentthe worker may choose to concentrate his 40 weekly hours in four days or may opt for a variable weekly regime, working more hours one week and having more free time the next.
The case of Spain, one of the first countries to speak of a four-day week, is different because what is aimed at is reduce working hoursas pointed out by the Spanish deputy Íñigo Errejón, promoter of the project in his country.
“Working 10 hours a day to get a day off is an attack on conciliation and quality of life. They have gone the opposite way” warned Errejón, although he was glad that the possibility of having three days off is no longer a taboo and that more and more companies or countries are trying it.
The project promoted by Más País, the party led by Errejón, involves a reduction in hours and is being given impetus through pilot projects agreed with the Executive.
The Spanish Government will contribute 10 million euros to some 200 companies that will participate in the test to implement, this year, 32-hour work week or four days. It is estimated that it will reach between 3,000 and 6,000 workers.
The main unions support the measure promoted by Errejón, stressing that it is a “historic claim of the union movement.” The Spanish employers, on the other hand, reject this work model because they fear that it will affect productivity.
However, according to the NGO 4 Day Week Global (4DWG), those who did so improved not only productivity but also the health of workers and their families.
In addition, they verified that this scheme also serves to solve problems of gender equalityallowing a more equitable distribution of care tasks between mothers and fathers and favored the path towards more sustainable work.
In dialogue with Télam, a 4DWG representative revealed that an unexpected result for the companies was that it was easier to attract and retain talent. The first country to implement short-time work was Iceland, after a four-year trial (2015-2019) among public sector employees in the capital, Reykjavík.
The 2,500 people who worked fewer hours without pay cuts had less stress and burnout, improved health, and improved work-life balance without lowering productivity and government revenue.
Today, 86% of Icelanders work fewer hours or can apply for the new time pattern, something that the unions are already negotiating.
On New Zealandthe company Perpetual Guardian approved the four-day work week since 2018 and Unilever did so in 2021. In the midst of a pandemic and with the country’s borders sealed, the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, promised to extend it to the entire territory to promote domestic tourism and the economy.
At United KingdomMeanwhile, the initiative is underway through 30 companies that, if they achieve their goal, could help Parliament adopt the 32-hour workweek nationwide by law.
Swedenfor its part, tried to reduce the working day in 2015 in several care centers for the elderly, a sector that is struggling to recruit staff.
The 70 nurses who participated in a test recorded less sick leave, better health conditions and increased productivity. In addition, additional jobs were created and the costs of coverage for health problems were reduced.
However, the results were questioned due to its high costs and it was discarded by the Government, although some companies, including Toyota, maintain it to this day. Many firms prioritize performance over hours worked.
On Japan, Microsoft is the first to apply the four-day workday and found that workers improved their productivity by up to 40% and increased sales, while reducing electricity and ink and paper costs, among others.
On United States and Germany It is also the companies that promoted the time reduction, each with its differences, such as the American Basecamp, which only does so during the summer.
On SpainInstead, the company that attracted all eyes is DelSol Software, which has been practicing this scheme for several years, which resulted in higher performance, more billing and less absenteeism.
In Argentina, where the maximum working hours per week is 48 hours, two projects are underway to reduce the working day:
That of the deputy of the Frente de Todos and leader of the Banking Association Claudia Ormaechea, who proposes a maximum working day of 6 hours and a maximum of 36 hours per week and that of the legislator also from the ruling party and general secretary of the CTA, Hugo Yasky, who proposes a working week of a maximum of 8 hours a day and no more than 40 hours a week.
According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), excess work generates losses of up to 3% of GDP.
The lack of rest impacts in different ways: low productivity, increased absenteeism, increased risk of chronic heart disease, cancer, first-trimester miscarriage, and premature birth.
For 4DWG, it is shown that Reducing the work week from 40 to 32 hours works for employees and employers.
“100 years ago we went from working six days a week to five,” recalled the NGO before emphasizing that time should not be wasted on that discussion: “We are already late for an update.”
Source: Ambito
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