The request came from the employees themselves: “They came to me and asked if it would be possible to reduce working hours in our company. Some are in poor health, others do voluntary work in their free time,” says Christian Ebner, managing director of Elektro Kagerer, based in Pasching and with a branch in Vienna. The new working time model has been in force since March 1, 2022: It stipulates that the 150 employees work 36 hours full-time, divided over four days and with full pay compensation. Friday is a day off. The model would be voted on before it is introduced.
Ebner reported on his experiences on Tuesday at a press conference in Vienna together with Renate Anderl, President of the Austrian Chamber of Labor. The introduction was not easy from a legal point of view, especially if working hours are to be reduced but the employment relationship remains full-time: “It would be desirable if there were a legal framework.” At Kagerer, individual agreements were made with the employees, and a works agreement was made with the works council for the workers.
The experience has been consistently positive, said Ebner: “We would do it again at any time.” This is also evident from an evaluation carried out by the working time research company Ximes on behalf of the AK: 75 percent said that the balance between work and private life is significantly better than before. 64 percent mentioned improvements in leisure time, 55 percent were more satisfied with their work overall. Overtime has even fallen slightly compared to the time before the reduction. Two out of three respondents (66 percent) say that they have not had to work more at any point in the past three months – they managed their workload in a four-day week. 22 percent say that they have had to work a little more in a maximum of three weeks during this period.
Image: Elektro Kagerer
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Image: Elektro Kagerer
According to Ebner, the fluctuation rate has also fallen slightly. However, the expected effect of making it easier to find skilled workers through the introduction of the four-day week has not occurred. “Applicants see the four-day week as a positive. But people are not rushing to the door because of it. Finding skilled workers is still difficult.”
“Reducing working hours works, not just in the office, but also in industry and trades,” said Anderl. The evaluation shows that the introduction is good for everyone. She advocated the introduction of a pilot project, similar to those in Germany and Spain. Discussions about longer working hours would not improve the world of work. A new form of full-time work and a change to the Working Hours Act are needed.
The Chamber of Commerce reacted negatively to the demands: “According to the labour force radar, around 160,000 jobs cannot currently be filled. By 2040, this number will rise to almost 500,000. The main reason for this is demographic change, which is leading to a decline in the working-age population,” said Secretary General Karlheinz Kopf. A general reduction in working hours would be counterproductive and would exacerbate the labour shortage.
