“You work to live, you certainly don’t live to work.” Yet we seem to be forced to do so: costs are rising in all sectors, and wages seem never to be enough. Moreover, the global population continues to increase, while the system of progress and automation leads to less and less need for jobs.
In this article we will discuss the short week, but first let’s take a step back.
During the Covid period, there were those who got used to smart working and those who had only heard about it: a measure that was too sudden and innovative for an Italy that was not technologically and mentally ready.
Despite the difficulties, working remotely has been an asset that has allowed so many companies to be able to continue to run their businesses and as many families to take home a paycheck that has not been reduced.
In recent periods, however, we are hearing more and more about the short week, which it seems could be a good solution to improve the quality of life for employees.
In what precisely does it consist? Let’s find out right now!
What is the short week?
The “short week” consists of reducing the number of working hours per week or rebalancing them. The multinational Mondelez International (which controls the Oro Saiwa, Oreo, Toblerone, Milka, Fattoria Osella, Sottilette, and Philadelphia brands) has chosen to follow the line traced by Belgium, Spain, and other European countries in Italy as well, and to launch a one-year trial of the short week.
Of course, this is not the first time we have heard of it: as early as 1994, such an innovation was proposed, but it did not find fertile times; on the contrary, it led some companies to various problems.
Is it really time to try again and have better outcomes, or are we in danger of falling into the same problems?
Times change, but in some ways certain dynamics never change.
The introduction of a short-week work system has both advantages and disadvantages, both for the employees and the companies involved. Let us analyze them briefly.
The advantages of the short week
The short week certainly offers advantages. Let’s see together what they are:
- It combines work and private life. By reducing working hours, employees are able to spend more time on personal activities, family and rest. This also results in reduced stress and greater personal satisfaction.
- Improved performance. According to data findings, fewer hours prompt workers to become more efficient and focused, thereby increasing their overall productivity.
- Reduced turnover. By increasing employee loyalty to a system that considers the welfare of its employees, workforce replacement is reduced. The environment becomes stable, i.e., recruitment and training costs are reduced and talent seeking employment is attracted.
The disadvantages of the short week
We often hear about the advantages of the short week, but we must also take into account the disadvantages it brings:
- Negative financial impact. Reducing the number of working hours per week reduces overall production, resulting in reduced revenues. Thus, it results in downsizing of wages, hiring of staff, and cuts in various areas to balance and reduce costs. Thus, this could be detrimental to employees and bring tensions within the company.
- Increased workload. With fewer hours available, employees may face greater pressure to complete the same amount of work in a shorter period of time. This could generate stress and a decrease in the quality of work done. It cannot be solved by new hires to make up for the problem: without facilitation, costs are likely to become more than revenues.
- Need for adaptation and industry diversity. Some industries, such as labor-intensive industries or services that require constant presence, may find it difficult to successfully implement this model. In addition, there may be problems in coordinating work schedules among different companies, suppliers, and customers, creating logistical complications.
- Time off is an expense risk. In the face of equal or lower wages, the days of the week when personal activities take place are opportunities to spend, in an environment where prices are increasing.
Short week: is it worth it?
Comparing the pros and cons of the short week, we can draw numerous contradictions.
It increases stress, but it reduces it as well?
It depends for sure on the type of industry, the specific job occupation, the specific task, the occupation and average pace, and so on. Certainly in some respects it is an attractive proposition for both workers and contractors, but on the other hand there are risks that cannot be underestimated.
So we ask ourselves: is it really worth risking making the same mistakes after a gap of not even 30 years?
However, there has already been such an experience: as far back as 1994, Volkswagen promoted this system, reducing its hours to a four-day work week to get out of the crisis, only to return to its original system after a few years due to increased costs and lowered production.
The choice was between going back to work for the canonical 35 hours a week or decentralizing production to Eastern European countries, with all that that entails for both managers and employees.
“The less people do, the less they would do” is an evergreen of clichés, yet one of the most realistic ever. Can we find a balance between wanting to work less and live more for a more honest salary?
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