Four-day working week: what the experiment in Germany proved.

The testing of the four-day working week model in Germany has been completed on February 1. 50 companies tested the reduced working week with equal pay. The initial assessments of the results show many positive effects for the staff, as reported by Deutsche Welle.

Employees reported a significant improvement in their mental and physical health

, - said the Berlin consulting company Intraprenör, which initiated the pilot project in early 2024. At the same Time, there is no talk of a decrease in firms' efficiency or productivity under the shortened working hours conditions.

Thanks to the four-day week, the experiment participants have become much more satisfied with life, mainly due to additional leisure time, explained the scientific leader of the project, Julia Bachmann, a researcher at the University of Münster. Before the start of the experiment, 64% of employees preferred to spend more time with their families, and after the end of the test phase, 50% expressed such a desire.

More sleep, less burnout

Reducing time spent at work allowed more movement and sleep. The participants in the experiment slept on average 38 minutes more per week than the members of the control group. In addition, they became much less likely to complain of burnout and stress, as noted by Intraprenör. As part of the project, scientists from Münster observed the physical and mental state of employees, conducted interviews, analysed data from fitness bracelets, and measured the level of the stress hormone cortisol.

Work productivity increased

The profits and turnover of companies indicate growth, but compared to the previous year, it is slight.

However, the fact that these indicators remained stable under significant reductions in working hours allows us to assume that at least some productivity growth has been achieved

, emphasized in the Berlin company. The increase in labour productivity was not unnoticed among employees and management, in terms of subjective perception.

Companies benefit from increasing employee satisfaction, as well as report positive changes in the recruitment procedure, which is important in the current shortage of specialists in Germany. However, the study authors warn: there is no convincing evidence that the introduction of a four-day working week leads to decreased staff turnover.

Two companies exited the experiment early

The pilot project was launched in Germany on February 1. 45 companies and organisations from the service sectors, manufacturing, healthcare, IT and media joined in. 41 of them have already completed or are about to complete a test phase lasting six months. Two companies were forced to discontinue the experiment, citing

economic challenges or lack of internal support for the four-day week

.

Companies acted differently: some reduced their working hours by 20% per week while maintaining the same salary, some only by 10%, and some even less. 85% of companies created one fully free day per week. In several companies, not the entire team participated in the experiment, but only certain groups.

To compensate for the reduced working hours, companies tried to eliminate hindering factors, optimise the work process, and implement new digital tools. Many reduced the number and duration of meetings. Intraprenör representative Karsten Meyer sees the potential of the new model precisely in combating tangled processes, excessive meetings, and insufficient digitalisation.

Economists' assessments

The Institute of Economics and Social Sciences close to the Hans Böckler Foundation favourable assessed the pilot project. The experiment shows that the four-day week has a positive impact on both employees and companies, stated by the foundation. According to its analysts, the trial experience should inspire other companies to implement this practice.

However, another opinion prevails at the Institute of German Economics in Cologne close to employers. There, the pilot project was called a

meaningless experiment

. It is obvious that companies participating in the experiment were already positive about the four-day week, which distorts the experiment results, according to the researchers. So far, no study has provided evidence that reducing working hours is a

smart approach from an economic perspective

, summarised in Cologne.

It is worth noting that this year several European countries have switched to a four-day working week. Experts believe that such a schedule improves productivity and has a positive impact on sleep. A recent study conducted by MattressNextDay showed that employees working four days a week instead of five gain an hour of sleep per night.