The country that has been silently reducing working hours to four days a week

Gavin Arm and Bert de Wit implemented the four-day week at the company in 2019 BBC The Dutch quietly adopted the four-day work week. But what was the impact of the measure and how to make it last? “Your kids are only little once,” says Gavin Arm, co-founder of Positivity Branding, a small company based in Amsterdam, the Dutch capital. 📱Download the g1 app to see news in real time and for free “Most people, when they run a company, dedicate themselves completely and work, work, work to try to make it work. And they probably do it for their children”, explains Arm. “But then when they get older, they look back and say ‘I missed that part of their life,’ and that’s terrible. We don’t want to be like that.” See the videos that are trending on g1 Arm speaks to the reporter in the company’s cozy office, in the lively De Pijp neighborhood. South of the city center, the region is known for its busy markets, its bohemian history and intense gentrification (the process of transformation of the local population, which is gradually replaced by other higher-income profiles, contributing to the overvaluation of a neighborhood or city and, consequently, to the expulsion of former residents). The company, founded by him and his colleague Bert de Wit, provides consultancy on brand identity and packaging design. Seven years ago, the partners adopted a four-day week for themselves and their employees. Employees did not need to accept a salary reduction or work more hours over the four days. The weekly working hours remain at 32 hours, or eight hours a day. “The balance between personal life and work was at the heart of the decision,” says de Wit. He disagrees with the idea that employees now work less for the same pay. “It’s about working smarter, not harder.” According to him, “in other countries, people spend a lot of time at work, but that doesn’t mean they work hard. Changing the culture and mentality is the biggest challenge.” The Dutch work the fewest hours per week in Europe AFP via Getty Images (BBC) The four-day work week has become common in the Netherlands for several years, with the adoption of large companies. The country’s largest union, Netherlands Trade Union Confederation (FNV, its acronym in Dutch), continues to pressure the Dutch government to make the measure an official recommendation. In any case, workers already have the legal right to request a reduction in working hours. “We like to have time to free our minds. I get my best ideas when I walk my dog,” says Marieke Pepers, director of people management at Dutch software company Nmbrs. She takes Friday off every week. “No one expects anything from me that day, I get inspired, I get better and so does the company.” According to Pepers, since the company adopted the four-day week, “sick leave has decreased and retention has increased.” However, she says the proposal faced resistance at first. “We had to convince investors. Our own employees were skeptical at first: ‘I can’t finish my work in five days’ [foi uma das reações]”, says Pepers. “Some people felt pressured. But we need to be extremely careful when setting priorities in our work and we have reduced the number of meetings.” Marieke Pepers says she gets her best ideas when she goes out to walk her dog Marieke Pepers The discreet adoption of the four-day week in the Netherlands has attracted international attention. Dutch workers work, on average, 32.1 hours a week, the shortest working hours in the European Union, well below the bloc’s average of 36 hours. At the same time, GDP (Gross Domestic Product, the sum of all The country’s wealth produced per capita — that is, per inhabitant — is among the highest in Europe and ranks near the top among members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD, known as the “club of rich countries”), which brings together developed economies. The performance challenges the premise that rich countries need long working hours to remain competitive. fewer hours”, says Daniela Glocker, economist responsible for the Netherlands at the OECD. “But what we have seen in the last 15 years is that it [a produtividade] has not grown.” Glocker adds: “So if the Dutch want to maintain their quality of life, they will have to increase productivity or expand the labor supply.” According to Glocker, this means that today’s workers will need to produce more goods and services per working day or that the country will have to increase the number of people in the market, possibly with greater immigration. The Netherlands has the highest proportion of part-time workers among OECD countries: almost half of employees work less than full-time. Higher wages and the way Dutch taxes The OECD, however, warns that this model faces a problem in the middle income range that makes it less attractive to work overtime, leading families to exchange income for free time. growing pressures. Like most countries, the Netherlands is dealing with an aging population: as more people retire, fewer remain in the workforce. “The Dutch are rich and work less – but the question is: is this sustainable?” asks Nicolas Gonne, an economist at the OECD. “There is a limit to what can be done with few workers.” The way to alleviate this is to expand the supply [de trabalho]”, says Gonne. AFP via Getty Images Some economists say that more women in the Netherlands need to work full-time. One way to expand the labor supply would be to increase the participation of Dutch women in full-time work. Although the female employment rate is high, more than half of women in the country work part-time, around three times the OECD average. Access to affordable childcare remains an important obstacle, and the high tax burden on income, combined with the complexity of the benefits system, can discouraging increased working hours, especially among so-called second-income earners. Peter Hein van Mulligen, from the Dutch Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), points to a deeply rooted “institutionalized conservatism” in Dutch society, which acts as a barrier to female participation, and almost so. 80% say that three days a week would be the maximum. Among parents, the percentages are, respectively, 5% and 29%. “A considerable difference”, notes van Mulligen, from the FNV union, states that the four-day week can help reduce gender inequality. such as education and health. “It could be a way to make these professions more attractive and increase productivity again.” His partner, Arm, summarizes his view of the model: “Are you happier? Are you enjoying life more? 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