Less work, better mood and more productivity? At the beginning of the year, an interesting experiment with the four-day work week began, the results of which were evaluated by the University of Münster. 45 businesses and organizations in Germany they introduced the four-day week on a trial basis for six months without wage adjustments. The initiative of the experiment was the consulting firm Intraprenör, which works with the non-profit organization 4 Day Week Global (4DWG).

During the course of the experiment, two companies discontinued, two others dropped out of the evaluation, and of the remaining 41 companies, only about a third actually reduced their work hours by a full day. It should be noted that the number of participating companies was very small compared to the approximately 3.4 million German companies.

Minimal reduction in sick days

The result of the experiment: workers are more cheerful when working hours are reduced. Participants are just as productive as when working a five-day week, and in some cases even more productive. At the same time, the workers reported a significant improvement in their mental and physical health, says Julia Buckmann, who was responsible for the pilot program and is a professor at the University of Münster.

The experiment shows that sick days were slightly reduced. The difference was within the margin of statistical error compared to 2023. Another surprise was that the reduction in working hours had no positive effects on the environment, notes Marika Platz, who participated in the project evaluation from the University of Münster. Unlike other countries, where similar experiments were conducted, some workers reported that they drove away for three days. Consequently, there was no saving of either energy or carbon dioxide.

Four-day work equals a brave pay rise

Labor market expert Enzo Weber is critical of the results of the experiment. He conducts research at the University of Regensburg and the Institute for Labor Market and Occupation. He believes that companies participating in such experiments see the four-day work week positively from the start. As a consequence, they cannot be considered representative of all businesses in the German economy.

Steffen Kampeter, chief executive of the Employers’ Association (BDA), is also critical, stating that companies in international competition had previously ruled out participation in the experiment. He even disputes that there have been any productivity improvements. For him, “a four-day week with the same wages is just a big wage increase that most businesses can’t afford.” Enzo Weber also believes that the elimination of one working day in the week most likely leads to an intensification of work on the remaining days.

However, experts agree that the four-day work week is unfeasible in some sectors. For example train drivers, taxi or bus drivers cannot even increase their productivity and certainly cannot work only four days a week. The situation is similar in retail, schools, police, fire service, hospitals and nursing homes.

Editor: Stefanos Georgakopoulos