Status: 08/02/2022 08:27 a.m
The employees of a plumbing company from near Nuremberg have recently always free on Fridays. Nationwide, more and more companies are trying to attract skilled workers with new working models.
When the order is placed at 7.30 in the morning, company boss Thomas Schmauser explains to his employees what needs to be done. “Today we are installing a bathtub, two shower trays, and in the meantime the heat pump will be put into operation.” It’s Thursday – and thus the last working day of the week at the company.
Four days of 9.5 hours with full payment
The eight employees now only work 38 hours a week, but continue to be paid 40 hours. As a result, the employees have longer working days from Monday to Thursday, but they have Friday to Sunday off.
This is a stroke of luck for plant mechanic Maike Böhm: Now she can use the long weekend for a city trip without having to take a holiday. Medical appointments are now easier to keep, says Maike Böhm. “They came up with something good, our bosses and we are very satisfied. I think I can speak for everyone.”
Mechanic Lukas Plattner thinks that the longer working hours don’t really matter that much, because you often work half an hour more on a construction site anyway. He also needs less fuel money now because he can save himself the longer trip to work on Fridays.
Trial run with 4-day week increased productivity
Internally, the Schmausers had changed their operations to four days since the beginning of the year. As a test, appointments and deliveries were only made from Monday to Thursday. That didn’t harm productivity – on the contrary.
The company made more sales on four days in the first half of the year than on five before, says company boss Stefanie Schmauser and also explains why: “The positive effect of this is that we work more compactly and effectively. The employees are well rested, because on Thursday evenings After work, they have the opportunity to enjoy their free time for three days. The recovery phase is much longer.” And company boss Schmauser adds that you can now work longer on construction sites from Monday to Thursday, which has increased productivity.
Criticism comes mainly from other companies
According to Schmauser, criticism of the four-day week does not come from customers. They often don’t even notice the shortened weeks, like regular customer Bernhard Strobel. Strobel says that he didn’t get the impression that his building project had been dragged out as a result.
Instead of the customers, other craft businesses in particular criticize the four-day week, also across trades. They are now under pressure because their employees would obviously like to have a different working time model.
New working worlds are emerging
Perhaps there are still one or the other traditionalist who wallows in the framework conditions of the past, says Daniel Terzenbach, head of the Federal Employment Agency (BA). In fact, he perceives the opposite. New working environments and more flexible working conditions are being created everywhere.
“Today, employers have to do everything they can to lure the remaining workers,” says Terzenbach: “In addition, keeping workers in addition to acquiring new workers will be the key challenge when fewer and fewer people enter the labor markets push.”
That is why the employment agency supports everything that creates framework conditions that offer employees a mentally healthy, but also physically healthy working environment, in which productivity is maintained at the same time, according to the BA board.
A four-day week saves energy and protects the environment
The Schmausers will keep the four-day week. They hope that this will also enable them to find plant mechanics – female too – for plumbing, heating and air conditioning. Or young people who want to do this training.
Even in the high-demand winter months of this year, they managed to make ends meet with the four days. “We want that for our employees, but also to a certain extent for us,” says Stefanie Schmauser. They also have families and hobbies and the whole process slows down life for them too.
Especially since the four-day week could also have savings effects. It is true that the savings in electricity and heating costs cannot yet be precisely quantified. However, according to company boss Thomas Schmauser, there is already a noticeable reduction in fuel costs. Because the three vehicles are also stationary from Friday to Sunday, unless there is an emergency service call.