The four-day week is very popular with German employees, as a survey by the Hans Böckler Foundation shows. The majority wants a reduction in working hours but only with the same wages.
According to a recent survey, the four-day week also finds broad approval among employees in Germany – provided, however, that wages and salaries are not cut. This is the result of a representative survey published today by the trade union-affiliated Hans Böckler Foundation. The interest in a reduction in working hours with a drop in wages is rather low.
Could civil society strengthen engagement
More than 2,500 employees subject to social security contributions were interviewed for the survey. Almost 73 percent of those surveyed stated that they only wanted a reduction in working hours if the wages were the same. Only eight percent of those in employment would reduce their working hours, even if the wages were lower as a result. 17 percent of those surveyed rejected a four-day week, while two percent stated that they were already working only four days a week.
Most supporters of the four-day week cited the need for more time for family, for themselves, hobbies and voluntary work as the main reasons for their desire for reduced working hours. The researchers explained that a four-day week could also help to strengthen civil society commitment. Three out of four stated that they wanted to reduce their own workload.
“Added value when recruiting skilled workers”
According to the survey, those who fundamentally reject a four-day week often have the feeling that nothing would change in their work processes or that the work could not be done in a shorter time. About 86 percent of those who are against do not want to reduce their working hours because they enjoy their work. Many stated that, according to their own assessment, they could not simply let work rest for a day. Others reject a four-day week because they often have to stand in for colleagues, and around a third have the feeling that they will not advance professionally if the working hours are reduced.
According to the WSI, the fact that the vast majority of full-time employees would like a four-day week with the same wages is not a fundamental obstacle to reducing working hours. Previous research indicates that employees work more productively with a four-day week, which means that wage compensation can be compensated: “An improvement in subjective time autonomy, as an important aspect of employer attractiveness, also represents added value when recruiting skilled workers.”