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Less stress, slight gains in productivity but still questions: these are the conclusions of a report on the effects of the four-day week in Germany presented on Friday.
For six months, 41 German companies participated in a program by the company Intraprenör to reduce working hours, or even introduce a four-day week, a historic demand from the country’s unions.
The University of Münster and the international initiative “4 Day-Week Global”, which has been exported to eight countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia and Portugal, also coordinated the project.
Major observation of the German study: with unchanged weekly working hours, the four-day week “significantly” improves the mental and physical health of the employee.
This was monitored for six months by connected watch, hair samples and self-assessment.
“This contrasts with the idea that having the same workload to complete in less time could lead to increased perceived stress” by the employee, judges the study.
On average, participants experienced less stress during the week – 178 minutes compared to 191 before the start of the experiment.
They also exercise more and sleep an average of 38 minutes more each week.
These “positive effects” on health are likely to “reduce absenteeism in the long term”, consider the researchers.
Respondents consider themselves slightly more productive, without their workload varying at the same time.
The study, however, remains cautious on the question of productivity, and notes other limitations.
For example, it is not proven that a four-day week increases company profit, reduces sick leave or carbon footprint.
On the other hand, 39% of companies decided to apply the four-day week after the trial and 34% will continue the experiment.
In the study sample, more than half of the companies employ 10 to 50 employees, in the services, manufacturing or construction sectors.
Since the Covid crisis, the four-day week has regularly featured in debates in Germany.
It was at the heart of the demands of the train drivers’ union GDL during a conflict with Deutsche Bahn last March.
Ditto in the steel industry, but employers and unions instead agreed in December on a “collective” reduction in working hours from 35 to 32 hours, with partial salary compensation.