A four-day working week trial has started in Germany as the country battles to revive its struggling economy.
This week, several German companies will give their employees one extra day off every week – while still paying them their full pay.
Unions have claimed that working less would make staff more productive, but also healthier and happier, which participants in the pilot hope the trial will prove.
Additionally, it could provide companies with a way to attract new staff, as a skilled labour shortage in Germany meant employers have been struggling to fill open job postings.
A four-day work week could result in a drop in costly absences due to stress, illness and burnout, according to Bloomberg.
Unions have claimed that working less would make staff more productive, but also healthier and happier, which participants in the pilot hope the trial will prove (file image)
Germany has long been considered the powerhouse of Europe. But with crippling strikes by rail workers angry over pay and working conditions paralysing the country, combined with an eight-day nationwide protest by farmers (pictured), it is fast becoming the ‘sick man of Europe’
Farmers and other protesters block a major road in Berlin with tractors and other vehicles on the first day of a week of demonstrations on January 8
This would help Germany, considered to be the ‘sick man of Europe’, since on average, workers missed 21.3 work days in 2022.
This caused the country to lose out on €207billion in value added, according to data from the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
One of the 45 participating companies is event planning agency Solidsense.
Its co-founder, Sören Fricke, told Bloomberg about the pilot: ‘I’m absolutely convinced that investments in ‘new work’ pay off because they increase well-being and motivation, subsequently increasing efficiency.
‘The four-day week, if it works, won’t cost us anything either in the long run.’
By 2035, more than 7 million people will have left the German workforce – but there is no one to replace them, since birthrates and immigration can’t seem to bridge the cap.
The managing director of another participant in the pilot, window-making company Eurolam, said his company was getting involved to be ‘modern’ and embrace change – if it didn’t, there wouldn’t be ‘anyone left’ to work for them.
Despite having the biggest economic output in Europe, Germany’s productivity has been held back by a lack of investment in innovation and digitization – and without improvement in these areas, even a four-day week would not generate more productivity, according to economist Enzo Weber.
Another economist, Martin Ademmer, is also sceptical whether a potential increased productivity could have make up for the hours employees aren’t working.
‘A four-day week could lead to higher hourly productivity but it’s very unlikely that a productivity boost can compensate for the reduced working hours,’ he told Bloomberg.
‘Together with a shrinking labor force this would be a major obstacle to economic growth.’
Farmers in hundreds of tractors take part in a protest rally in Augsburg, southern Germany, on Wednesday
Farmers are protesting about the axing of fuel subsidies, while rail workers want a reduction in the number of hours they work – but without any pay cuts
Germany’s problems are compounded by the fact that it is governed by a three-party coalition led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz (pictured) that is failing to agree on anything, bringing inertia that plays into the hands of the extremist AfD party
But previous trials in the US and in Canada have shown that there potential gains in the four-day week, as employees reported feeling better physically and less burnt out.
After these trials, none of the participating companies switched back to a five-day work week.
A similar trial here in the UK saw a 65 per cent decrease in sick days, while a study in Portugal showed that anxiety and sleeping problems were reduced by about 20 per cent.
This comes as tensions between German employees – who have been seeking higher wages while keeping the flexibility and independence they gained during the pandemic – and their employers have been rising.
Just this month, tractors blocked cities protesting increased production prices and train employees went on strike, demanding to cut the work week from 38 to 35 hours.
Equally the construction union, which represents 930,000 workers, asked for a pay rise of more than 20 per cent.
Germany’s problems are compounded by the fact that it is governed by a three-party coalition led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz that is failing to agree on anything, bringing inertia that plays into the hands of the extremist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
The indecision, in-fighting and finger-pointing over the crippling strikes, protests and ongoing immigration concerns during ‘Germany’s winter of discontent’ has led analysts to predict the far-Right will make huge gains in an election later this year.
David Young, an expat who lives in Dusseldorf, sums up the anger and frustration of those living in Germany who are exasperated by the strikes.
‘When the tractors blocked the city, it was chaos,’ he said. ‘There is still some sympathy for the farmers, but very few people have any support for the rail strikes.
‘They are on a good deal, and what they want seems unreasonable. Unlike most workers they can retire at 63 rather than 67, so the people I talk to don’t feel they have a bad deal.’
Farmers are protesting across Germany this week against proposed government measures that would reduce federal benefits for the agricultural sector
Tractors are seen lined up in central Halle, in Germany’s Saxony-Anhalt region
Farmers use their tractors to block access to roads on the first day of a week of protests on January 8, 2024
Protesting farmers and others line Strasse des 17. Juni street with tractors and other vehicles as the Brandenburg Gate stands behind on the first day of a week of protests on January 08, 2024 in Berlin, Germany
Lawyer Jakob Unger from Munich said the strikes would have a huge impact if they stretched into the coming months.
He said: ‘If the rail strikes continue, there will be a lot of problems. So many people rely on the rail network, not just for work but to get around the country.
‘It is so strange to see photos of empty platforms. If this goes on into February and March, the Government will be in trouble.’
Two weeks ago the famed German rail network Deutsche Bahn effectively ground to a halt with normally bustling rail hubs in Cologne, Berlin and Frankfurt deserted.
Those commuters who braved the freezing conditions stood waiting for up to an hour on a platform for one of the regional trains still running.
To make matters worse, those trying to get to work by car found the motorways blocked by striking farmers and lorry drivers.
Germany finds itself in the grip of a winter of discontent that began when farmers brought major cities to a standstill with blockades and slow-moving convoys.
The farmers are protesting at the axing of fuel subsidies, while the rail workers want a reduction in the number of hours they work – but without any pay cuts.