In an attempt to combat the worker shortage, many firms in Germany are adopting a 4 day work week to try and stay competitive. The organization 4 Day Week Global is spearheading this effort of workplace reform by encouraging firms to participate in this experiment. With the main goal of avoiding a loss in productivity, 50 firms will be utilizing a 4 day, 38 hour work week starting in 2024. Some of the other benefits that firms already utilizing this system claim are increased worker motivation and productivity, savings on fuel for workers with a long commute, and better social and family lives. Many firms are also offering shorter work weeks without a decrease in salary.
According to a study by the Hans-Boeckler foundation, about 81 percent of the German workforce, along with myself, supports a 4 day work week. And for those Germans who do not support this, they are still currently able to work for up to 48 hours. Some critics of this change argue that it will inevitably lead to a decrease in overall output. especially as the larger baby boomer generation begins to leave the work force.
While the 4 day work week is a far more ideal situation for many people, I think we are a long way away from being able to implement it at a large scale. As long as there is a near global workers shortage, I do not believe that it will be feasible. As the cost of living continues to rise, couples are opting to have children later and later in life, if at all, due to their financial situations. Until we can solve these issues, I do not we will see a 4 day work week in the United States.
Source: https://www.barrons.com/news/europe-s-economic-powerhouse-tests-a-shorter-working-week-69dd83ee
Although its reduced to 4 days, it is still 38 hours which is over 9 hours a day. I wonder if this is more effective then 5 days at 8 hours for the typical 9-5 job. I am curious if there is a time threshold in which the average efficiency of an employee goes down after a certain amount of time clocked in
ReplyDeleteI think that a 4 day work week is something that would be heavily liked by the younger generations as we enter the workforce, but I also think that it is a system that just will not work. With the high prices of living and the cost of a family, I think that the younger generations are just not in a very good position to push for this type of change. Companies have spent a long time building their system around our current ways that to change it, would take a lot of collaboration between capital owners and laborers.
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