Several Belgian companies have pulled out of the Federal Government's four-day work week pilot scheme.
The scheme aims to gauge the advantages and disadvantages of the four-day model for employers. A "preparation phase" had intended to launch in March but disorganisation has made its beginnings "a bit of a mess", according to the Planning Bureau.
"We have new organisations joining all the time, but several companies have withdrawn from the process, even though they were enthusiastic in the beginning," a spokesperson from the Bureau told L'Avenir.
Several companies pulled out before completing the preparation phase after realising the extent of the new model's impact. The majority of these employers were Flemish and the remaining pool of companies are predominantly Walloon and Brussels-based, therefore damaging the project's objective to be as varied as possible.
Non-profit organisations and the service industry are currently the largest group in the contingent. The Bureau expects to maintain "around ten participants" once the initiative fully takes off in May.
'Not yet ready'
The loss of interest in a reduced working week is partly due to the cumbersome legal and technical procedures involved in the transition. "Some employers have realised that they are not yet ready to switch," the Bureau explained.
Financially speaking, wage indexation is a sticking point for many Belgian employers. Sharp wage increases linked to high levels of inflation means that employers are hesitant about plunging into a new system whose impact on profits and productivity are yet to be known.
In addition, many companies are accountable to international shareholders who are more reticent about the financing and other details the switch entails. This dynamic may have lead to once-enthusiastic participants doubling back on their application.
Better balance of workload
A shorter working week aims to "give employees the opportunity to better balance their workload and personal development." However, since employees were given the option to work four instead of five days a week by the 2022 Labour Deal, statistics from the end of 2023 suggest the uptake was less than expected.
Less than 0.8% of Belgians with the chance to do so made the transition. The unfamiliarity of the new regime may explain this low figure.
Regarding the government scheme in question, the number of long-term participants will be confirmed by mid-April. The Bureau added that the number of companies to drop out already was not unusual and reflects rates in other European countries such as Portugal.
