The Feasibility and Impact of the Four-Day Week in Belgium: Perspectives from Employees, Employers, and HR Experts

2023-12-06 21:09:00

Belgium will test the four-day week, instead of five, without loss of salary. This was confirmed by Pierre-Yves Dermagne on Bel RTL. He wants to launch a pilot experiment, drawing inspiration from what is done in other countries. Is this feasible? What do employees and bosses think?

Véronique has been a municipal agent for more than 20 years, on a daily basis she helps citizens with their administrative procedures. In 2020, his employer offered him to work four days a week instead of five, while keeping his full-time salary. The official did not hesitate for a second. She is now off on Fridays: “I feel much better. On Mondays, we are more rested, our minds are healthier when we come to work once more.”

For human resources experts, the four-day week with a full-time salary is beneficial for everyone because the employer will be able to count on an efficient worker: “The employee will be motivated, if he is motivated he will perform well at work. And these are also employees who will be much less absent from their workplace,” says Christine Nauwelaers, HR consultant at Securex.

On the employers’ side, we are skeptical: “We are proposing to reduce working hours but maintain salaries. This means a 20% increase in costs for the company, knowing that competitiveness is already threatened today.” advances Pieter Timmermans, managing director of the Belgian Business Federation.

It therefore remains to be seen whether this loss of income for companies can be compensated by the well-being of employees.

4 day week

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