How likely is Czechia to adopt a four-day work week?

Will most people in Czechia work four days a week in the coming decades? Germany has officially started its most extensive four-day work week pilot project to date, and is one of several EU countries to trial this concept for employees.

With the rise of flexible working in the post-Covid-19 era and increasing demand for fewer working hours, many labor unions, companies, and employees across Czechia are also calling for the four-day week to be introduced in the country.

The German initiative mirrors a successful 2022 trial conducted in the UK, where 61 companies implemented a four-day work week while preserving productivity and maintaining employee wages at levels equivalent to a five-day work week.

Earlier this year, CNN Prima News reported that the notion of a four-day workweek was surging in popularity within the Czech Republic. Companies that have embarked on trial runs of the four-day workweek are noting an uptick in employee contentment without any discernible decline in productivity.

One case in point is Sherpas, a Prague-based digital marketing agency, which introduced the four-day workweek as a pilot initiative back in 2019. Four years later, it is hailing it as a resounding success, with employees reporting satisfaction and an environment marked by increased efficiency. Sherpas joins the ranks of local businesses, which include Prague advertising firm B&T, that support the four-day workweek.

Sherpas director Luboš Plotěný called it a “novel experiment” upon its introduction. “There were initial concerns that we might revert to the original schedule, but after four years, those fears have vanished.”

Plotěný affirmed that the company has seamlessly accomplished in four days per week what used to require five. Moreover, the appeal of the four-day workweek has amplified their talent pool, with Sherpas reportedly having received three times the usual number of applicants for open positions since implementing the change.

Jaroslava Rezlerová from the employment agency ManpowerGroup notes that the four-day workweek is gaining particular traction in the Czech Republic, especially among younger workers. She emphasizes that prospective employees view a four-day workweek and flexible hours as some of the most enticing benefits an employer can offer.

A recent survey commissioned by the consulting group Moore Czech Republic has revealed that almost half of Czech “would definitely agree with” introducing a four-day working week, with an additional 28 percent saying they would be in favor. This marks a notable shift in employee attitudes towards alternative work schedules.

Marcela Hrdá, a partner at the consulting group Moore Czech Republic, remarked on the findings of the study: “From our survey, it is clear that Czech employees would welcome the idea of a four-day working week. Since our previous study two years ago, the positive perception of this idea has even strengthened in some respects. It is unlikely that the eventual introduction of a four-day working week would have an adverse impact on the Czech economy.“

Speaking to Expats.cz, director of business services firm in Czechia ABSL Jonathan Appleton said that thanks to a four-day working week, employers can “maintain and even strengthen the loyalty and satisfaction of their employees, which is today – when the shortage of quality candidates on the labor market prevails – very important. The feedback from employees is very positive.”

The concept of a four-day work week is gaining momentum not only among employees but also among employers in the Czech Republic. Particularly, companies in the business services sector have shown interest in adopting this approach, with some having tested it last year. The sector's high degree of automation and digitization makes it conducive to such experiments.

One of the primary motivations behind embracing a shorter work week is the effort by business service centers to attract prospective employees and enhance the loyalty of existing staff members.

Trials of shorter working weeks in the UK and Iceland both brought about upticks in employee satisfaction and productivity. “Companies and countries that implement this model show positive results. A better mood in the company, greater engagement of employees and, thanks to this, better profitability of the company, because they are better off,“ says the head of the work-advisory website Welcome To The Jungle, Jan Klusoň.

Speaking on trials of the four-day working week in Czechia, Klusoň commented: “It provides companies with more contented, and consequently more loyal, employees. According to surveys, employees also experience greater relaxation and happiness, resulting in increased satisfaction and heightened productivity. This isn't solely limited to monotonous tasks; it allows employees to take a breather, fostering creativity and enhancing overall efficiency and productivity.”

Some, however, believe that Czechia is not yet ready to roll out a widescale trial of a four-day workweek. Chief economist at financial services firm BH Securities Štěpán Křeček told Nova.cz that Czechia is dealing with a lack of employees. “If we were to reduce working hours, an even greater number of employees would be needed, and thus our problem in the labor market would deepen,” Křeček added.

Jiřina Kovaříková, a wage expert from the RSM consulting network, also noted that some companies’ high workloads and the fact that a large part of Czech companies are based on industry and manufacturing makes the idea of a four-day working week unviable.

Expats.cz reached out to Jitka Kouba, marketing director at Grafton Recruitment, who similarly does not foresee a near-term introduction of a four-day work week in Czechia. “The four-day working week has been discussed across Europe for some time. Some countries are testing it, but in the Czech Republic, we can not see anything [substantial] yet. In light of the current labor shortage, we cannot yet imagine that something like this would be introduced in our country,” she said.

In 2021, then-Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Jana Maláčová proposed enforcing a 4-day work week in the Czech Republic without reducing wages. “If we do not want an army of unemployed, we must reduce working hours,” she said, adding “we might have huge amounts of unemployment because robots will be cheaper than a minimum wage worker.”

While the idea of a four-day work week is being experimented with across Europe there are currently no concrete plans in the Czech Republic to implement it universally, according to the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. However, with a shortage of qualified labor, companies may increasingly consider such innovations to attract and retain talent in the future.