Many companies are currently asking whether it makes sense to trial the four-day week and offer this working-time model to their employees. Recent surveys of working people show that demand for a working week reduced to four days has increased. With employee retention and recruitment in mind, it is therefore advisable to address the topic proactively and base decisions on relevant data. Online surveys can help establish whether, and under which conditions, a four-day week is feasible and worthwhile in particular areas of work or sectors. The following sections explain what the four-day week means in practice, which models exist and how an employee survey can help you assess demand for this working-time model.
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What is meant by a four-day week?
The prospect of introducing a four-day week has been debated in many European countries for years, and several have already run pilot schemes and studies with largely positive results. The term “four-day week”, however, can mean different things in different studies. Reducing the number of working days from five to four may involve shorter standard weekly hours, or the same weekly hours may be redistributed over four days, making each working day longer. The models also differ in how pay is handled. So what does a four-day week usually mean, and what are the individual options?
The most common four-day-week model works as follows:
The working week is reduced from five days to four while pay and output remain unchanged. In other words, the same workload is expected to be completed in four days rather than five. How much longer people need to work on those four days depends on a number of factors.
Some organisations introduce measures to make work more efficient, for example by cutting down on lengthy meetings. Others distribute the hours of the omitted fifth day across the remaining four days. Weekly working hours are then unchanged, but spread across four rather than five days. For example, the eight hours normally worked on Friday may be added to the other four days, so employees work four ten-hour days instead of five eight-hour days.
Four-day week – an overview of the different models
- A four-day week with unchanged weekly working hours (known as work intensification) and unchanged pay. Working days are longer.
- A four-day week with fewer weekly working hours but full pay.
- A four-day week with fewer weekly working hours and lower pay. In essence, this is a conventional part-time role.
Four-day week: the current situation in Germany and Europe
The introduction of a four-day week is also being discussed in Germany. IG Metall, for example, has announced its intention to secure a four-day week for the steel industry. A nationwide, cross-sector introduction of this working-time model nevertheless still seems a long way off. Other European countries are further ahead: Belgium has had a statutory right to a four-day week since November 2022. In Spain, a state-funded multi-year pilot project began in 2023 with the aim of increasing productivity. A further four-day-week trial is already under way in Portugal, where 46 private companies are taking part voluntarily. Employers and the government want the academically monitored project to establish whether the workload can also be managed in four days.
Pilot schemes and trial programmes for a four-day week have also been conducted in the UK and Iceland, with positive results for both employees and employers. The UK study, which was academically monitored, found that sickness absence fell by 65 per cent, employees were more motivated and productivity increased. The analysis also found that participating companies’ turnover rose during the trial period.
Although the four-day week has long been a focus in other European countries, only a small number of companies, businesses and individual public authorities in Germany are trialling this model. Most employees in Germany would nevertheless like a shorter working week. A 2023 study by the Hans Böckler Foundation found that around 81% of full-time employees in Germany wanted a four-day week with correspondingly shorter hours. Of those surveyed, 73% would choose this option with full pay and 8% even with reduced pay. Seventeen per cent opposed a four-day week, while 2% already worked one.
Reasons given for wanting a four-day week included:
- more time for themselves
- more time with family
- more time for hobbies, sport and voluntary work
- reducing workload
- health problems
Another four-day-week survey, commissioned by HDI Insurance, produced similarly strong levels of support. Employees across all age groups showed great interest in a shorter working week: 71% of people in employment aged 40 and over wanted this model, while support among younger employees was even higher, at 83%.
Belgium enshrined a four-day week in law in November 2022. Since then, employees have had a legal right to work their weekly hours over four days while keeping the same pay. Alternatively, working hours can be reduced, with a corresponding reduction in pay.
Assessing demand for a four-day week with an employee survey
As noted above, current surveys indicate that most employees would like a shorter working week. Given the continuing shortage of skilled workers, companies would be well advised not to rule out flexible working-time models and other New Work concepts as a matter of principle. This is especially relevant in sectors where the labour market is shifting in favour of employees and companies must compete for applicants. Whether a business could benefit from introducing this model depends on its sector, competitive environment and the nature of the work, as well as on whether its employees want to try it and are willing to do so.
Online surveys can help identify the conditions under which a four-day week would be feasible and worthwhile in a particular area of work. They can be used with both managers and employees. An online employee survey can show the level of demand for flexible working-time models and reveal the reasons for and against the different four-day-week options. A complementary survey of managers can also establish whether a four-day week could in principle be introduced in particular departments, what requirements would have to be met and what effects may be expected.
Online surveys are particularly well suited to surveying employees and managers because they can be carried out quickly and cost-effectively. Both anonymous and non-anonymous surveys can be conducted and evaluated with ease. You can find detailed guidance, tips and examples for online surveys here: Conduct an employee survey online
Including free-text and comment fields lets employees answer questions in their own words and leave suggestions, criticism and comments about the four-day week. Find out how to create a comment field in the LamaPoll blog: Create a comment field
Questionnaire templates for the four-day week
These questionnaire templates help you find out how much demand there is for a four-day working week. Employers can also use them to ask under which conditions a four-day week could be implemented in their organisation and how much demand there is among employees. Feel free to use our free four-day-week templates as a starting point when creating your questionnaires. You can copy them to your LamaPoll account with a single click and adapt them as needed. Find further free templates for employee and customer surveys here: Questionnaire templates and examples
Four-day working week: advantages and disadvantages
Employees often weigh the advantages and disadvantages of a four-day week differently from employers. However, a number of studies conclude that more flexible working hours increase motivation and productivity, meaning that both employees and companies can benefit from introducing the four-day week. Below, we list advantages and disadvantages that are commonly cited in connection with the different four-day-week models.
Potential advantages of a four-day working week:
- more productive work
- greater motivation
- lower stress levels
- fewer sick days and absences
- greater employee satisfaction
- a more attractive employer brand
- a competitive advantage when recruiting skilled workers
- better work-life balance
- lower commuting costs
Potential disadvantages of a four-day working week:
- higher workload
- more stress
- less coordination between colleagues
- less flexibility on working days
- work intensification
- less personal interaction
- longer working days
- fewer holiday days
A multi-month pilot project in the UK involving companies with 2,900 employees found that workers were more motivated under the four-day week, sickness absence fell and productivity increased. Fifty-six of the 61 participating companies said they would introduce the four-day week on a permanent basis.
What is LamaPoll?
LamaPoll is a survey tool for creating employee surveys and measuring employee satisfaction. You can use it to create, conduct and analyse all types of employee survey. Create your employee survey in just a few steps, apply your organisation’s corporate design and invite employees conveniently by email or via your intranet. You can quickly gain insights that help improve employee satisfaction. You can register for our survey tool free of charge and immediately conduct surveys for up to 50 employees with no obligation. If you need more responses to your online employee survey questionnaire, simply choose one of our monthly plans. You can also use our employee survey questionnaire templates and examples.
