To work for four days, but get paid for five. Sounds too good to be true. However, it turns out that in Europe this scheme is gaining more and more followers. A number of companies have shortened the work week for their employees and found that this leads to higher productivity, more motivated staff and significantly less congestion, says the BBC.
Officials in Scotland could soon be working less than one day a week, after the Institute for Public Policy there called on Prime Minister Nicolas Sturgeon's government to expand the pilot program to work for the same salary four days a week. The call is based on a survey by the Institute, which found that as many as 80% of workers said they were in favor of reducing the working week, and 65% said they would be more efficient.
The idea of four working days a week, previously tested by some private companies in different countries, but also by the governments of Japan and New Zealand, raised the question of whether employers have an interest in accepting reduced working hours and who will cover losses, if any.
Who would it be better for? Employees or employers?