Are shorter workweeks a temporary fad, or is there a real chance that they could determine the future of work? For the Netherlands, the four-day workweek isn’t an abstract idea meant only for the eccentric, but a real system of work. It is a system where 32 hours of consistent commitment through the week is more than enough to keep businesses thriving. Among the many appeals of living the Dutch life is the work-life balance and the flexible schedules offered by the Netherlands.
The country’s “one-and-a-half” earning model may have something to do with how naturally the Netherlands has adopted the four-day workweek, but it could also be attributed to the general culture of prioritizing fulfilling lives over productivity stats.
The Netherlands’ shorter workweek has far-reaching benefits for employers and employees. (Image: Pexels)
The Netherlands’ Four-Day Workweek Model Shows Us an Alternative Way of Working
On average, workers in the Netherlands work 32.1 hours a week, which marks one of the shortest workweeks in the European Union. Some regions like Austria and Denmark also support shorter workweeks, coming in at an average of 34 hours. In comparison, workers in the US work around 42.9 hours a week on average, according to Gallup.
While America and the rest of the modern world fight against companies hoping to make longer workweeks a reality, the Netherlands’ experiment with a four-day workweek is a testament to the power of considering alternatives that put employees first. Not only is this system advantageous for employees who want more out of their lives than just employment, but it also helps spread the labor around more evenly across the population.
Instead of overworking themselves and burning out early, workers in the region are able to work longer tenures. As a result, the older population doesn’t get assigned into the “retired dependents” category as quickly, and most workers are guaranteed longer careers in the industry of their choice. The Netherlands’ shorter workweek has far-reaching benefits for employers and employees.
Why Do Flexible Schedules Work So Well in the Netherlands?
Much like other systems in the world have improved with the inclusion of women, so has the four-day workweek in the Netherlands. With female participation in the workforce increasing, the country eventually evolved its systems to accommodate the shift it caused in family structure. The region’s “one-and-a-half” model allows parents to split the workload between them with greater ease, with one working part-time while the other works full-time.
With a tax system modeled after this dynamic, both men and women get to choose their own structures with greater ease. The system evolved as a way to protect the family unit without having to lock women out of the workforce to do so. The Dutch work-life balance may not be ranked as high as New Zealand’s, but it still provides an arrangement that is beneficial for everyone who participates in it.
This way, citizens get to choose between working part-time or relying on a shorter four-day workweek instead.
The Four-Day Workweek Is a Worthwhile Consideration for HR
From declining birthrates to rising unemployment, the United States is battling a multitude of problems that are all interconnected, even if they don’t appear to be at first glance. Businesses in the region are highly competitive, with some even considering going the opposite direction towards hustle-culture, making suggestions of adopting the 996 strategy to increase working hours instead of bringing it down.
These strategies may be viable short term, but they provide employees with an unpleasant shortcut to burnout. Higher rates of burnout will result in workers dropping out of the organization and the industry at higher rates than ever, and this talent drain will only hurt profit margins rather than bolster them.
Is It Easy to Adopt the Netherlands’ Shorter Workweek?
Replicating the Netherlands’ income and tax systems requires a much larger overhaul of state and federal operations that go beyond what a single organization can achieve. However, the more that HR teams show support for a four-day workweek, the easier it will be to prove to the decision makers that a changed attitude towards employee well-being can be beneficial for everyone.
If you’re unsure about how successfully your organization can thrive under a shorter workweek, consider running pilot programs to test it out. Rather than leaving it as an untested thought experiment, many organizations and countries have successfully run their own experiments on a four-day workweek and found the systems worth implementing permanently.
A majority of the news surrounding four-day workweeks is positive because it does make a world of difference to the employee experience. While making a shift to a shorter workweek isn’t easy, there are many benefits that can make the change worth the effort.
Impressed by the Netherlands’s four-day workweek, or do you think a five-day system is best unchanged? Let us know what you think! Subscribe to The HR Digest for more insights on workplace trends, layoffs, and what to expect with the advent of AI.