News Greece adopts six-day work week to boost productivity. Experts have doubts. (1 Viewer)

[Tickita]

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While the four-day workweek has picked up steam in many European countries and even at some U.S. companies, Greece is going in the opposite direction.

The country’s new legislation, which took effect this week, introduced a six-day workweek for businesses that operate 24 hours with the goal of boosting productivity. Workers have the option to work up to 48 hours a week, and those who work the extra day will get a 40 percent bump in overtime pay.

The news bucks the trend of shortening the workweek to four days, which research has shown benefits productivity and employee well-being and satisfaction. Greece’s government suggests the move will aid with labor shortages, ensure workers get paid for overtime and address tax evasion issues as it relates to undeclared work. But worker advocates say that Greece’s new legislation probably won’t produce the desired results and instead could cause unintended consequences such as high turnover, burnout, illness and even death.

“It definitely feels like a step in the wrong direction and shortsighted,” said Malissa Clark, director of the University of Georgia’s Healthy Work Lab, which studies work-life balance. “We know long work hours are detrimental to employee health.”

In the U.S., 77 percent of workers believe a four-day, 40-hour workweek would have an extremely or somewhat positive effect on their well-being, according to a recent Gallup survey. U.S. companies that have piloted or adopted shortened workweeks say they have seen the benefits.

In many parts of Asia and other developing countries, a six-day work week is routine. But globally, more countries are also looking at slashing hours. France is among the most recent countries to pilot a four-day workweek, while Belgium became the first country to officially approve the shortened week back in 2022. Other countries that have been experimenting with the four-day workweek include Iceland, Japan and South Africa.

But hurdles to the wide adoption of the shorter week persist as many worry about staffing issues, potential productivity drops, increased costs and complex changes to operations.

Greece’s move goes against much research that shows increasing hours actually hurts productivity rather than boosts it, said Brigid Schulte, director of the work-family justice program Better Life Lab at think tank New America. Instead, increasing hours often leads to workers making more mistakes, being slower on tasks, and suffering from exhaustion, stress and illness.

“The proof will be in the evidence,” Schulte said. “If all of a sudden Greece turns around its economy, maybe people will take a second look. But I don’t think that will happen.”

Read more below:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/07/03/greece-six-day-workweek/

 

[RandAlThor]

i cant see this helping a service economy, Manufacturing maybe. ya gotta have stuff to buy. With at home shopping so prevalent time to buy stuff is easy . but time to use the stuff..

maybe this would force more saving with les time to spend?