Once again we come back to talking about “short week“, or the four-day work week. What is surprising is that the last country to move towards this choice is hyperproductive South Korea. Only a year ago, this Asian country stood out for a proposal of the opposite sign.
According to observers, the government's turnaround lies in the serious demographic crisis that the country is going through and in the high level of work stress experienced by young people. These concerns are shared by several Western states, which have been trying to implement similar measures for several years. Judging by the results received, The effects are largely positive, both in terms of psycho-physical well-being and company productivity.
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The short week in Italy
NielsenIQ recently conducted A research for Axpo Italia in which a clear situation is emerging also with regard to our country. 80% of respondents we actually say favorable to the short weekThe most interesting aspect, however, emerges from the reasons supporting this choice.
Three out of four people believe that this can generate benefits, by allowing better care for children and elderly parents. But also better psycho-physical well-being and a more balanced relationship between work and private life. Aspects on which the interviewees would even be prepared to make many sacrifices. And what does the government think about it?
In April Undersecretary of Labor Claudio Durigon gave the Government's availability “provide tools to incentivize […] the experiment of reducing working hours for the same salary” and productivity (Il Sole 24 Ore, April 12, 2024). Ground on which the majority and the opposition seem to have found an agreement.
Short week and businesses
While politics discusses and examines, businesses act and walk. The number of companies already facing the short week continues to grow.
According to a report by Henley Business School, 64% of companies have adopted it The four-day work week saw an increase in productivity. 85% of companies also note improved employee well-being, data supported by Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, who says the week is short can reduce stress levels and improve job satisfaction.
Among the major Italian groups that have implemented and tested it are: Lavazza, Luxottica, Lamborghini, Intesa Sanpaolo, but it was tested abroad, even before in Italy, to the point of becoming a stable presence for some time.
The little week: a reality in many countries around the world
In Iceland, which has been experimenting with “four-day work” since 2015, 86% of the working population works four days a week or has the right to negotiate this work arrangement.
Or Spain, which began testing the short week from 2021. A partially different path was followed by Belgium, which introduced four working days in 2022, but without reducing hours. The Belgian nation He also holds the record for being the first country in Europe to adopt a law on a short working week (Public Space-CGIL, February 2024).
Also in 2022, a new record was set by the UK, which managed to involve up to 65 companies in a four-working day trial. Second 4 Day of the week, UK comes secondbehind the United States, by number of companies having adopted the short weekfollowed by Canada. In February of this year, it was finally Germany's turn.
An opportunity to improve well-being and productivity
However, We do not intend to ignore certain problematic aspects related to specific production systems.like the Italian one. According to data from the Digital Observatory of SMEs, managed by the Polytechnic of Milan, the entrepreneurial fabric of our country is in fact composed of 95% micro-enterprises and 0.09% large companies.
Considering that the short week has been tested mainly in large companies, it is clear that in Italy it is necessary to find other measures. An aspect, however, that cannot account for the data from the introduction of the four-day working week fromincreased productivity of companies and greater well-being of employeesIt is precisely these two factors that should encourage entrepreneurs and workers to seek new horizons capable of reconciling the reasons of man with those of production.
