Industry 4.0 but 48h work week
I was thinking … how did we reach the state in which it is necessary to work more than 40h / week to sustain our economy? At least that is the opinion of the German ruling parties in year 2025 on a background of mass layoffs and budget cuts swiping the nation.
We live some interesting times in which we seem to ignore the facts moving to a direction which contradicts what well being at work mean. Looking back from a historical point of view, the 40h week was a massive progress obtained in the industrial revolution (Source : Wikipedia).
the intense demand for munitions revealed that extending working hours did not yield proportional increases in output. Conversely, shorter working hours were found to enhance worker efficiency stemming from the improved health of the worker and his increased production capacity for invested efforts.[8]
This is not something which over the years has changed. There are studies done in several countries for the 4 day work week, with stellar results. In direct antithesis are the results of studies done with working more than 40h/week.
According to Süddeutsche Zeitung, working longer than eight hours per day significantly endangers employees' health, namely increasing their chance of stress-related illnesses, cancer and diabetes. Indeed, a four-day week trial carried out in Germany in 2024 found that reduced hours improved employees’ productivity, physical and mental health.
So why come back to something which proven ineffectively? I believe the answer to this question is “because we can“, It seems such a simple solution to complicated problems like sustaining the social security system currently in place. We work longer therefore we are more productive. Do you see anything wrong with that statement?
On a global scale automation , robotics and AI are modifying the way we work, the way we approach things, the way we evolve as a society. People are being laid off left and right, finding another job is no longer an easy task in an oversaturated market and in contradiction, profits are at an all time high. Looking at giants like Microsoft, SAP or BOSCH there are tens of thousands of people laid off, with the goal in mind to make the company more efficient. If there is so much workforce which is redundant, why increase the working hours of the remaining employees? Makes 0 sense that more work is required in times where we will replace ourselves with the tools mentioned a forehand.
Do we really want a model where someday people will need to work 60h a day or have 2-3 jobs in order to be able to pay rent? This is a direction which I can confidently say, no one is wishing or strives to follow.
It is mind bogging for me how we try to destroy the very social state we have build so hard in the last decades. Are we really running out of options or time to create something better? Why not treat employees better offering them the flexibility they need, not with working more, but by having the time to find creative solutions to our common problems. Having an de-cluttered mind empowers our brain to explore ideas and solutions. Having more time to think outside the box can raise productivity and focus. There are several studies which have shown this, so why not take the leap? Why not take a step forward to a brighter future for all of us?
Until next time, TFG