Belgium is added to the list of countries where citizens can close the week with only 4 days of work. After much discussion about policies for workplace reforms, Belgium decided that employees could have the option of working many hours throughout the day to enjoy a long weekend.
On the other hand, employers can refuse employees' request to work only 4 days a week (working more hours over other days), but there must be a reason that justifies refusing the request.
Employees of this state can already ask owners to work 4 days a week without losing a penny from their salary.
Belgium has considered this idea since October, initially as a result of the pandemic and then to see if this initiative would bring positive results.
Under the new law, employees can work a maximum of 9.5-10 hours per day. Other European countries such as Spain or Scotland have announced plans to adopt the 4-day work law without losing anything from pay.
Iceland tested the idea of the workweek with 36 hours of success from 2015-19, and already with more than 85% of employees are choosing this option.
Japan is also following in the footsteps of the aforementioned countries. Considering that Japanese employees work extended hours and are limited to taking annual vacations, the 4-day job would affect and change their lifestyle a lot.
Burimi: Forbes
