Piloting a 4 day work week in Swiss corporations

Is a 4 day work week without a reduction in pay feasible for Swiss corporations?

Factsheet

Situation

Rapid technology advancements, labor market changes, and shifts in workers attitudes and values in recent years have sparked debate among academics and policymakers regarding the sustainability and desirability of the current full-time working model (in most countries 36-40 hours per week) and alternative ways of organizing working time in the future. One alternative way of organizing working time is the 4DW (30-32) hours per week) without a reduction in pay. Despite emerging as a relevant topic in public debate over the last few years, the issue of work-time reductions has not been studied enough so far.

Course of action

Mixed-method design

Result

With this research project we aim to examine:

  • the longer-term effects of work time reductions at the individual, team, and organizational levels .
  • the success factors such as the design of work time reductions in combination with supportive work interventions.
  • and to collect empirical data for specific job categories considering the specific context of Switzerland.

Looking ahead

Insights into the feasibility of work time reductions in Swiss corporations.

Project news (in German)

This project contributes to the following SDGs