Four-day week: companies tend to be "conservative" when it comes to reducing working hours - more applicants
The international organization 4 Day Week Global, collaborating with Intrapreneur, promotes the concept 100-80-100, meaning 100 percent performance, 80 percent time, and 100 percent payment. However, only 38 percent of the 45 participating companies actually reduced their working hours by 20 percent in practice. 48 percent shortened it between ten and eleven percent, and another 15 percent between eleven and 19 percent.
The four-day week "seems to be a synonym for creative work time models," explained Carsten Meier from Intrapreneur. "In Germany, we are more conservative when it comes to work time reduction than in other countries." In many companies, for example, employees work a little more on the four working days of the week so that the fifth day is free. In total, there are twelve different models.
Almost 40 percent of the participating companies apply the reduced work week only to certain teams or employees. Of the originally 45 participating companies, one postponed the project's timeline to 2025. Approximately half of them started on time in February, while others joined in the following months. Two companies are no longer part of the experiment.
Meier also attributed this to the economic situation in Germany. "Companies that face challenges may be more likely to forego participation this year," he told news agency AFP.
According to Intrapreneur, many companies underestimated the transition from work habits and processes necessary for a successful four-day week. Some organizations discovered they had not made sufficient adjustments and had to make adjustments.
Approximately 60 percent of employees in all companies now work with the reduced work week. "It doesn't work for everyone yet," explained Julia Backmann from the University of Münster, who is scientifically accompanying the project.
Despite the challenges, Intrapreneur sees potential. The models in the respective companies were developed partially by employees themselves. "The project can act as a productivity booster because employees themselves determine where the company can still become faster and where optimization potential exists," said Meier. Additionally, participating companies reported higher applicant numbers.
Some companies digitalized processes and used Artificial Intelligence (AI) for this. Changed work habits in meetings, focus times, or new communication behavior contributed to the implementation of the new working time regulations. At the end of the project, stress hormones from hair samples and fitness trackers that record sleep will provide insights into the effects of the different models on employees.
More than half of the participating companies have between ten and 49 employees, but larger and smaller businesses also participate. The consulting and agency industry is the most strongly represented, but handcraft businesses, healthcare providers, and social institutions are also involved.
In other countries, similar studies were already being conducted. Sixty-one companies participated in a pilot project in the UK. Fifty-six of these reported that they intended to continue the Four-Day Week after the trial phase. Researchers from Boston and Cambridge observed an average sales increase of approximately 1.4 percent at the time. Sick days decreased by roughly two-thirds, and the number of employees resigning dropped by 57 percent.
- Despite some companies in Germany being more conservative about work time reduction, they are still expressing interest in applying the four-day week concept, such as in the collaborative project between 4 Day Week Global and Intrapreneur.
- Managers in certain participating companies are implementing a strategy where employees work a little more on the four-day week to make the fifth day free, which can be considered a form of shortening the overall working hours.
- The concept of a four-day week has potential for increasing applicant numbers, as reported by participating companies in the Intrapreneur project. This could be due to the perceived benefits, such as a reduction in working hours and an improvement in work-life balance.
- Management consultancy firms, among other industries, are actively participating in studies on the four-day week, aiming to understand the impacts on productivity, employee satisfaction, and overall business operations.
- During the project's evaluation phase, companies will examine various factors, including decreases in stress hormones and improved sleep quality, as potential indicators of the effects of the four-day week on employees' well-being and performance.
