“The future lies in the four-day working week as the basis of the social and labor contract,” said Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev at the International Labor Conference. This initiative has gained both supporters and opponents. Some believe that a four-day work week will benefit society, as it will allow more time to spend with loved ones and relax, while others believe that it will only harm the economy. Is it possible to introduce a four-day period in Russia? We’ll look at it in the article.
How working hours were reduced
The first attempt to improve the living conditions of workers in Russia occurred in 1897. A decree was issued limiting the working day for men to 11.5 hours, and for women and children to 10 hours for a six-day work week. In the fifties, at the end of the post-war reconstruction, the working week was 42 hours - they worked six days for seven hours. In 1967, they switched to a five-day work week, while maintaining a 42-hour work week. In 1991, working hours were limited to 40 hours. About thirty years have passed since then, technical capabilities have improved, the Internet has appeared, the speed of information exchange has increased, but working hours have remained the same.
Please note that the Labor Code defines only the maximum amount of working time per week. Already now, organizations, concluding a collective agreement, can reduce the number of working days or working hours.
According to a Rosstat study, the average actual length of the working week (excluding time off, sick leave and vacations) is 37.1 hours. Women, according to these data, work less – 35.4 hours a week, and men – 38.7 hours. The difference from the established 40-hour week is due to the fact that some employees work part-time, and some enterprises have reduced working hours due to an unstable financial situation.
Decor
Initially, an application is drawn up. The act must be addressed to the management of the enterprise. Transferred to the HR department. Some companies have developed their own form. It is filled out according to the model existing at the enterprise. If such an act has not been developed, a free-form application is written. A sheet of A4 format is used. It is recommended to notify your supervisor before drawing up a document. The act reflects information about the enterprise where the person works.
A request is reflected regarding the establishment of a part-time regime. The day from which changes are made is indicated. The Appendix reflects a list of documents that confirm the need to establish such a regime. The management of the enterprise cannot refuse to accept such a document. The review is carried out by the management of the company over a specified period. As a result, a decision is made.
Employees of the personnel department create an order reflecting the part-time schedule. The document specifies which method of reducing the length of the day is chosen. The time set for eating and rest is prescribed. You will need to draw up an additional agreement for the employment contract. This is due to the fact that the labor regime of a particular employee will differ from that in force in the company.
All documentation must be filed in your personal file. Entries about the introduction of part-time work are not made in work books. Earnings are declining. The employee is provided with the use of vacation and lunch. The length of service cannot be reduced. If a person is called to work on a day off, the payment is double.
How many work in other countries?
In the United States, a 40-hour week is officially established for government employees. Private firms may work longer hours, but Americans work an average of 34.5 hours, according to the Department of Labor.
Labor productivity, which is calculated as the ratio of gross domestic product to the amount of time worked, in America in 2020 was $72 per hour, and in Russia only $26.5. Despite the fact that the average Russian works 1.5 hours longer, he earns $983 per week, while the average American earns $2,484.
In the Netherlands, a possible maximum of 9 hours per day (45 hours per week) is established, but a four-day working week is increasingly being introduced, increasing the working day to 10 hours. In fact, this country works 30.5 hours per week, which is the lowest in the world, while labor productivity is almost the same as in the United States - $71.4 per hour.
In China, despite the established 60-hour work week, part of the population works according to the 996 scheme: from nine to nine, six days a week - 72 hours. Vacation in China is only ten days, one of the shortest in the world. This work schedule allows the Chinese to compete in the international labor market. More and more companies are moving their production to China. It turns out that the decrease in working hours in the West is due to an increase in labor productivity in the East.
When is the pre-holiday day shortened and when not?
The total duration of work on a pre-holiday day is reduced by the employer by 1 hour. But if such a day falls on one of the weekends, the work schedule remains unchanged, that is, it cannot be reduced. To understand which days of the year are considered holidays and which are pre-holiday, you need to familiarize yourself with the production calendar. This is a special assistant for personnel officers and accountants, which contains data on public holidays, working hours and the number of days off/working days by month, quarter and year.
In such a calendar you can clearly see how much shorter the pre-holiday day is - the dates are marked with asterisks. Additionally, information about postponed days off is displayed in order to increase the total duration of rest (based on Resolutions of the Government of the Russian Federation). But if one of the weekends is postponed and becomes a working day, the time of employment on that day is determined according to the working day schedule (stat. 95 of the Labor Code). For example, in 2018, April 28, that is, Saturday, was moved to April 30, that is, Monday, in order to lengthen May Day (Resolution No. 1250 of October 14, 2017). In this case, Saturday becomes a pre-holiday working day, reduced by 1 hour.
Experiments to reduce working hours
In world practice, there have already been attempts to introduce a shortened working week. In Utah, in 2007, local government employees were switched to a four-day shift, but the working day was increased to 10 hours. The idea would save up to $3 million a year in operating costs and reduce environmental damage. But, three years later, most employees returned to their usual schedule. The result of the experiment: the population was dissatisfied with the closure of government agencies on Fridays, there was no increase in labor productivity, and savings amounted to only $1 million.
In March 2020, Perpetual Guardian from New Zealand began an experiment in which it reduced the work week to four days, without increasing the length of the working day. As a result of the experiment, employee stress levels decreased from 45% to 38%, the number of employees who manage to maintain a balance between personal life and work increased from 54% to 78%, and labor productivity increased by 20%. In addition, the company managed to save on costs, primarily on electricity.
In Sweden, experiments were conducted to shorten the working day without reducing the length of the week. For two years, nurses at a nursing home in Gothenburg worked 6 hours a day. The positive effect of the experiment was that the employees felt better and had more energy for work, which led to an increase in the quality of service. However, due to reduced hours, the authority had to increase staffing by 25%, which increased costs by $1.3 million over two years.
From 1989 to 2005, a similar experiment was conducted by Swedish authorities in the city of Kiruna. 250 workers worked six hours a day for 16 years. The experiment was terminated due to employee complaints about the excessive workload and lack of positive results.
There has also been preliminary research done in the UK on how effective a four-day work week is. Their results showed that increased productivity is difficult to achieve in jobs that require constant presence, but for office workers the results can be positive.
Peculiarities
Employment rights for part-time workers are the same as for the rest of the state. They can expect shorter day lengths in the days leading up to holidays. The reduction applies to one hour. For persons with disabled children, additional days off are provided.
The regulation stipulates that the length of service includes periods when a person worked part-time. Includes days when the employee worked in hazardous conditions for no more than half the hours for standard schedules. This applies to additional holidays. When the position that a person fills is classified as irregular, leave is taken out during work for an incomplete week. You need to work full time.
Other types of schedules suggest that a person cannot work more than a set time. A person caring for children under the age group of one and a half years can work part-time or at home. They are entitled to payments. This is reflected in the law. Sick leave is paid according to the general rules.
How do Russians plan to vacation?
The SuperJob portal conducted a survey in which it found out what people are willing to spend an extra day off on if a four-day work week is introduced in Russia. The majority of women (42%) and a quarter of men (24%) chose the “family” option. This is the most popular answer.
Another quarter of men plan to do additional work on their days off. Only 16% of respondents will rest, and 15% will spend time on self-development and advanced training. The remaining answers received less than 10% of the votes, but if we sum up the answers of those who plan to play sports and hobbies, go to the movies and read books, we get another 33% of respondents who will spend an extra day off on vacation.
Based on the survey data, we can conclude that 38% of Russians, on their free day, want to engage in activities related to improving their financial situation: find a part-time job or improve their level of knowledge.
Reducing working hours: pros and cons
1. The main advantage of shortening the working week is improving the quality of life. A person will have more free time for rest, family, and self-development. Research shows that those who work more than 50 hours a week have higher rates of illness than those who work regular or reduced hours. Workaholics have a higher risk of developing coronary artery disease, stroke, depression, and professional burnout. A four-day period will allow you to avoid this.
2. A rested employee works better, is more efficient and focused. All this leads to increased productivity.
3. An additional day off will provide the opportunity to travel more, which will lead to the development of domestic tourism and spur economic development. People will spend more money on entertainment and leisure.
4. The number of jobs will increase, since it will be necessary to redistribute labor responsibilities, which will solve the employment problem.
5. The harm caused to the environment will be reduced, the amount of exhaust gases and energy consumed will be reduced, because you will have to travel to the office one less day.
The main argument against it: a four-day work week will lead to a deterioration in the financial situation of both employees and employers. In order for employees not to lose money, they need to do in four days what they now do in five. This can be achieved by modernizing production facilities, automating business processes, introducing new technologies and training personnel. Is business ready for such steps?
Assessing the experience of other countries, we can conclude that even with high productivity, they are in no hurry to radically reduce working hours. Labor productivity in our country is now at such a low level that it is worth thinking not about reducing work time, but about maximizing efficiency.
Reducing working days will not save you from overtime. Experts from the National Research University Higher School of Economics claim that with a standard five-day work week, 64% of Russian workers regularly work in the evenings, at night and on weekends. The percentage could be even higher, since the study only covered people in formal employment. Only a third of employees seek compensation for overtime work. However, 48% of Russians do not support the idea of a four-day work week, and less than a third of those surveyed were in favor of shortening the working week. 17% of respondents are neutral about the innovation, and 6% found it difficult to answer.
David Sharkovsky , manager of the Russian branch of Financer.com Ltd:
“In general, the idea of a four-day week is quite consistent with the so-called organic business model, which is aimed at ensuring that business is for people, and not people for business. Similar ideas have already been discussed at companies such as Google. How successful such a practice will be within Russian business is not yet very clear. For example, in our company there is a detailed list of tasks with corresponding payment. And formally, no one is preventing an employee from increasing his personal efficiency and starting to complete tasks faster within a four-day work week - then the salary level will remain the same. The problem is that “faster” does not always mean “better”. I think many companies will face this problem: either they will have to expand their staff (which is not very profitable financially), or employees will have to complete the same amount of tasks in less time (and this may not have the best impact on the results). On the other hand, our company was initially aimed at constantly improving the efficiency of each employee and rational use of time. Therefore, we expect that the transition to a four-day week will not cause severe consequences either for our business or for our employees. Unless foreign colleagues start to envy”
Summary
The four-day work week in Russia has its supporters and opponents. Some people talk about improving the quality of work, others say that the economy is not ready for such radical steps.
Experiments to reduce working hours have had opposite results: in the New Zealand company Perpetual Guardian, labor productivity increased, but in the Swedish city of Gothenburg the economic result was negative.
A shorter work week will lead to an improved quality of life; people will be able to devote more time to their family, hobbies, sports and travel. However, this step requires high labor productivity and a stable economy.
