The result of the first German pilot project is here

Projects from the “4-day week” initiative initially seem unrealistic given the technical recession in Germany. And yet the six-month pilot study, in which 45 companies across Germany are taking part, is now causing a few surprises: From March to September 2024, primarily small and medium-sized companies tested a working model with reduced working hours with the same full-time salary.

4-day week in Germany: These are the results

Both the sales and profits of the participating companies are unchanged compared to the previous year, says study director Julia Backmann. The professor at the University of Münster heads the chair for transformation of the world of work. The university receives the scientific evaluation. The project was initiated by the “4 Day Week” initiative and the German management consultancy Intraprenör.

Backmann draws the general conclusion that the four-day week has gone well in most companies: “70 percent of organizations say that they want to continue.” Some want to test the working model even further, others have already implemented it. “20 percent say that they will break off the four-day week and go back to a five-day week and ten percent are still undecided,” says Julia Backmann.

Another subject of the study was how satisfaction among the workforce has changed. Here, too, it has been shown that well-being increased. Participants have reported improvements in their mental and physical health. There was also a slight increase in sick leave, although this cannot be clearly attributed to the four-day week.

The fact that health has actually improved is confirmed by the use of accompanying fitness tracker data, which recorded steps and sleep. Measurements of the stress hormone cortisol also show improved body data. After introducing the new working time model, many companies are changing their processes. So there were fewer or shorter meetings. This could influence well-being.

Study not representative

Although the results are encouraging, the significance of the study is limited because the participating companies are not representative of the German economy. The consulting and agency sectors are most strongly represented. But craft businesses, health providers and social institutions such as kindergartens are also there. The research influenced the everyday work of 900 people.

Not all companies have chosen the same working model: most companies only reduce weekly working hours by four hours. Only a third of the participating companies opted for a real four-day week. A study in Great Britain made similar findings last year and even reported the positive effects a year later. / with material from the dpa

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