Greece Lengthens the Workweek While the UK Four-Day Week Gathers Steam
Greece’s government put new labor laws into effect that mean workers can be asked to work a six-day workweek.
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Greece is the birthplace of democracy, but now it’s given us something a little less appealing to the masses.
Last week, Greece’s government put new labor laws into effect that mean workers can be asked to work a six-day workweek. Meanwhile, in the UK, the campaign for a four-day workweek is gaining momentum, looking to the new left-wing Labour government with some optimism that it can get more trials underway.
Greeks Bearing Grift
In 21st-century history, Greece’s economy has limped behind the rest of Europe and trailed the UK by some margin. At the moment, however, Greece’s economy is experiencing something of a comeback, while Britain’s GDP is only just beginning to creep out of a flatline. Greece’s pro-business government seems to be capitalizing on that growth and trying to drive productivity with its new six-day workweek.
But, in 2024, will extra time on the clock really drive that much productivity for a nation? Or is it just a bit of nostalgia for a 19th-century work ethic that doesn’t fit into current economic models:
- “Before we had the third Industrial Revolution, having more people on the assembly line did lead to improved productivity,” Dr. Grace Lordan, an economist at the London School of Economics, told The Daily Upside.
- In a world where more work is knowledge-based, that model hits a ceiling. “The more you work, the more you get done up to a point, and then you get diminishing returns,” Lordan said.
Friday, I’m in Love: But how do we know if a five-day workweek is the sweet spot? Trials of the four-day, 32-hour workweek in the UK have been largely successful: 54 out of 61 companies that tried it kept the policy 18 months after the trial began. Lordan said the general result was more satisfied employees and no drop in productivity, but she doesn’t see the four-day workweek as a silver bullet. In some industries with high numbers of vacancies, like supermarket work, it hasn’t worked so well. She added it’s not ideal for working parents or employees who care for elderly relatives — it can actually constrain their flexibility.
