There are "many creative solutions" for the four-day week

*Since February, 45 companies have been trying to introduce the Four-Day Week in a pilot project - with full salaries and full performance from their employees. A mid-term report shows some issues and challenges. Initiator Carsten Meier from the consulting firm Intraprenör draws a positive conclusion in an interview with ntv.

ntv: The mid-term assessment of your pilot project has shown that 40% of the companies had problems with transitioning to a Four-Day Week. What were the challenges?

Carsten Meier: Introducing a Four-Day Week is a change process. It's about reorganizing processes, managing differently, and changing cultures. It's normal that there aren't just good, quick solutions, but that there are challenges. For us, that means that companies need to reflect on how they can adapt to make a Four-Day Week possible in the first place.

What were the challenges and how were they addressed?

Mainly it was about adaptation: How can I rearrange the work so that goals can still be achieved in less time? For example, it was about which digitalization effects could still be achieved. How can meetings be adjusted? How can communication be adjusted? But also: How do we need to plan our shifts differently? How do we need to restructure things in general? That takes time. And above all, it requires the insights and creative ideas that come from the workforce. We've noticed that effect in this interim report: Many employees are motivated to contribute ideas on how to make a Four-Day Week possible.

However, it didn't work out for everyone. Two companies even discontinued the test. What was going on there?

In all international studies, we see that not all who start, then finish. In this case, it's two companies that have decided to end the test after two months. We assume that economic effects played a role. We are in a difficult economic situation in Germany. Companies are faced with the question: Do we really have enough focus to deal with an experiment that raises so many questions? Or do we need to focus entirely on getting through this economic situation first? We also see that many of the other companies are dealing with it very positively and continuing on this path.

And how do these models look? It's not even a Four-Day Week for all participating companies.

Exactly. One sees that very creative solutions are found for reducing working hours. Companies make a Four-and-a-half-Day Week and make every second Friday free. Other companies say you can choose whether you want to make a reduced working week in four or five days. Again, others compress the work and take less working time, but pack it into four nine-hour days.

Which industries are represented in the pilot project?

It's very diverse: from craft businesses to industry, for example, all the way to kindergarten operators. But also IT companies, consulting firms, and agencies are involved. In short, it's everything that one can imagine under the German economy.

As you mentioned, the economic situation is difficult. Can Germany afford to switch to a Four-Day Week?*

This question must be answered by economists and politicians. In our pilot study, we look at whether a Four-Day Week can be a business solution. And we can see that it offers advantages for certain companies in terms of attracting specialists and filling open positions better. This could be a solution. But is it a solution for all industries in the current situation in Germany? This needs to be discussed in more depth elsewhere.

How do you measure and evaluate whether this experiment works? Employees may say something different than the bosses.

We collect data from managers and employees who participate. We also test control groups alongside those who participate in the pilot project to see if there are differences. We are trying to collect as many data as possible to be able to deliver real insights in the end. For example, hair samples are taken to see how high the stress level is and how it changes. Some participants also wear fitness trackers on their wrists and share their data to see, for example, how sleep patterns change.

Interview with Carsten Meier (conducted by Sibylle Scharr)

The skills shortage in certain industries has led some employers to consider the Four-Day Week as a potential solution, as it might help in attracting and retaining talented employees who value work-life balance.
Despite the economic challenges, some employers participating in the Four-Day Week pilot project have reported positive impacts on employee morale and productivity, indicating that the model may have potential benefits for the economy in the long term.