Dominican Republic to trial four-day work week: Can it work globally? | Labour Rights News

In February, the Dominican Republic will turn out to be the primary Caribbean nation to check a four-day work week, following comparable trials in nations such because the United Kingdom.

The six-month pilot can be voluntary for firms and won’t contain a pay lower for collaborating workers.

Rising requires a shorter work week have stemmed from COVID-19-era discussions and anecdotes that lengthy and in-person work hours don’t essentially assure larger productiveness.

So what’s the four-day work week trial within the Dominican Republic, and has it had success elsewhere?

What’s the Dominican Republic’s four-day work week trial?

Starting in February, organisations within the Caribbean nation can select whether or not to implement a six-month-long trial of a four-day work week.

The usual week will drop to 36 hours from 44 hours, usually working from Monday via to Thursday. Staff will proceed to earn the identical salaries.

A number of the firms anticipated to take part within the trial run embrace the federal government’s nationwide medical health insurance company; energy firm EGE Haina; Claro, a Latin American telecommunications firm; and IMCA, a heavy tools enterprise.

An area college has been tasked with analysing the outcomes, together with any well being adjustments in staff and the connection between work and their private lives.

How does a four-day work week truly … work?

In a four-day work week, the workload usually stays the identical. However firms, managers and their groups are compelled to prioritise much more than they in any other case should, slicing out, maybe, some conferences.

However there’s one thing else too {that a} four-day week mannequin should emphasise, in response to the Dominican Republic’s Labour Minister Luis Miguel de Camps.

“It prioritises individuals, enhancing well being and wellbeing, and selling a sustainable and environmentally pleasant productiveness,” stated de Camps.

The place has a four-day work week been trialled — and what occurred?

A number of nations around the globe have examined or legislated a four-day work week, notably since COVID-19, which reignited conversations round office flexibility, productiveness, and work-life steadiness.

In 2023, the UK launched what is taken into account the largest trial of a four-day work week and located optimistic outcomes. A complete of 61 firms joined the trial, and 56 prolonged it, with 18 making the change everlasting.

About 2,900 workers have been a part of the pilot within the UK. Surveys taken earlier than and after the trial discovered diminished stress ranges inside employees.

Greater than half of the surveyed workers stated it was simpler to steadiness work and residential tasks, whereas 40 p.c additionally stated they have been sleeping higher.

A number of the different advantages that emerged from the UK trial included:

• Staff ended up taking much less sick depart since that they had extra time to bodily and mentally recuperate from work and related stress.
• Gender parity improved. Males contributed extra to family and household duties after they had three-day weekends.

In Japan, the place loss of life by overwork killed shut to three,000 individuals in 2022, bigger firms reminiscent of Microsoft have examined the four-day work week and located optimistic outcomes.

Are there different success tales?

Iceland trialled a shorter work week between 2015 and 2019. Roughly 2,500 public sector workers participated in it.

The outcomes: Staff have been much less pressured, and productiveness didn’t endure.

The trial, that Iceland’s labour unions renegotiated contracts for greater than 85 p.c of the nation’s workforce to cut back work hours.

However are all four-day work weeks the identical?

In February 2022, Belgium grew to become the primary European nation to legislate a shorter work week. Staff can select to work 4 days every week as an alternative of 5, with out shedding their wage.

However there’s a catch: They have to nonetheless work 40 hours. In different phrases, those that select the four-day work week should work 10 hours a day.

In 2021, the United Arab Emirates authorities introduced that each one public sector organisations would function for four and a half days per week. Nonetheless, workers within the nation nonetheless spend a number of the highest hours at work, at a mean of 52.6 hours per week per employed particular person.

How about going longer moderately than shorter?

In India, latest requires a 70-hour week have sparked heated debate.

In 2023, Narayana Murthy, the long-lasting co-founder of Indian multinational know-how firm Infosys, made the advice saying it may increase productiveness and the nation’s economic system.

India’s economic system is already the fastest-growing amongst G20 nations. And Indians already work a mean of 47.7 hours every week, which is higher than the 36.4 common in the US or 36.6 in Japan, in response to the Worldwide Labour Organisation.

In China, some corporations observe a “996” work tradition, by which workers work from 9am to 9pm, six days every week. The typical work week, nonetheless, is 46.1 hours.

Nonetheless, Murthy prompt that the younger generation is just not hardworking sufficient.

“India’s work productiveness is likely one of the lowest on the planet. Our kids should say: That is my nation, I wish to work 70 hours every week,” he stated throughout a podcast. India’s labour unions have hit again at Murthy’s feedback.