The Dutch have quietly adopted working just a four-day week. But what has been its impact, and can it last?
Your kids are only young once, says Gavin Arm, co-founder of Amsterdam-based small business Positivity Branding. Most people, if they're running a company, they throw themselves into it and work, work, work to try and make it. And they're probably doing it for their kids. But then they look back when they're older and go 'I missed that part of their lives', and that's awful. We don't want to be like that.
Arm is speaking to me at the firm's cosy office in the Dutch capital's lively De Pijp neighbourhood. His business, which he co-founded with colleague Bert de Wit, advises companies on their brand identity and packaging. Arm and de Wit switched themselves and their staff to a four-day week seven years ago. Employees did not have to take a cut in salary, and nor did they have to work longer hours on the four days. Instead, their hours remain at 32-per-week, or eight-per-day.
The work-life balance was at the heart of it, adds de Wit. He disagrees with the notion that their staff are doing less work for the same amount of money; rather, he sees it as a shift towards working smarter, not harder. They emphasize that a cultural change in mindset is vital for this transition.
Working a four-day week has been common across the Netherlands for several years, with larger companies adopting the model too. The country's biggest union, FNV, continues to lobby the Dutch government to make it an official recommendation. Interestingly, Dutch employees have a legal right to request reduced hours.
We like time to free up our mind. I get the best ideas when I walk my dog, says Marieke Pepers, chief people officer at the Dutch software firm Nmbrs, who takes Fridays off. Since their transition, she states that staff sickness has decreased, and retention has increased.
The Netherlands boasts the fewest work hours in the EU, averaging just 32.1 hours a week, significantly below the bloc's average. Despite this, Dutch economic output remains among the highest in Europe. This raises questions about sustainability and productivity, especially as Dutch productivity growth has stagnated. Economists suggest that if the Dutch wish to maintain their quality of life, they must either improve productivity or attract more workers into the labor market, potentially through increased immigration.
Furthermore, part-time employment remains prevalent, especially among women, and finding solutions to this issue while balancing work-life demands will determine the future success of the four-day work week in the Netherlands.
As the work landscape continues to evolve, businesses are challenged to balance employee wellbeing with productivity, all while navigating the implications of this new work structure in a competitive global economy.
