Does Germany have a 4 Day Work Week?
Jan Bühren, one of 4 Day Week Global’s German National Partners from Intraprenör, answers the question whether or not Germany has a 4 day work week.
Germany’s 4 day work week
One can approach the topic from two perspectives: factual and emotional. Factually, there is still no widespread 4 day work week in Germany, or a right to it.
Currently, 45 German companies are trialing a 4 day work week as part of 4 Day Week Global’s national partner program.
It is also often the subject of negotiations by trade unions (e.g., ver.di and GdL), which make demands in this direction and achieve successes.
Additionally, Germany is one of the countries with the lowest working hours in international comparison. So, we are on a good path towards a 4 day work week. From our perception, however, the topic is still far from a societal consensus.
The discussion about the 4 day work week in Germany is often hijacked into a discussion about willpower and generational conflicts.
"We need to have more enthusiasm for work again," "There needs to be a 'desire for overtime' again," are just a few recent statements from politicians and employer representatives.
Yet, one can already see the flaw in comparing working hours internationally: here, working hours are equated with productivity.
Despite the low working hours, Germany is a very productive country, which at least shows that this connection is not linear.
So emotionally, we are still far from accepting a 4 day work week. Deeply rooted in our society is the appreciation for work.
In Germany and many other cultures, a person's value is still strongly determined by their ability to work and their willingness to work. How hard one works determines their own moral worth. Experiments with the 4 day work week must always fight against this fundamental accusation of laziness.
The topic is currently much discussed but by no means new. Historically, it wasn't long ago that the weekend was even free. "Saturdays belong to daddy" was the slogan of the campaign around 1956 to introduce the now hardly questioned 40-hour, 5-day work week.
In Germany, in the 1970s, the Schwartau jam factory made headlines by reducing the work week to four days as a response and effective measure against labor shortages.
Germany’s current 4 day work week pilot experiment
We find in our pilot project: The 4 day work week is, upon closer examination, already a reality for most and only hidden under unnecessary processes.
The fact that even the attempts by countries have shown that productivity may even increase in four days underscores the need for a rethink in the way we work rather than a strict focus on time. Parkinson already stated in 1950: work can stretch like rubber to fill the time available for it.
How Germany can shift to a 4 day work week
Whether Germany will simplify access to a 4 day work week in the near future remains to be seen, but adjustments to the Working Hours Act are already being discussed.
The discussion about the 4 day work week in Germany is thus much more than a simple reduction of working hours; it is a call for a comprehensive rethink regarding the design of the working world. Aspects such as flexibility, self-determination, and the promotion of a balanced work-life balance play a central role.
The potential benefits of such a change – from increased employee satisfaction to greater attractiveness for professionals to positive effects on the environment – are diverse and can make a decisive contribution to the future viability of the labor market.
