The Evolution of the Workweek: Switzerland’s Experiment with Four and Six-Day Workweeks

Switzerland has been slow to adopt the five-day workweek, but it is now widely popular among the population. However, this traditional schedule is being increasingly questioned as companies introduce a four-day workweek with the same salary to motivate their employees. On the other hand, Greece recently changed its laws to allow some workers to opt for a six-day workweek to address a shortage of skilled workers. This raises the question of whether such a measure could be relevant for Switzerland.

Unlike in Greece, there was no legal barrier to working on Saturdays in Switzerland. While Swiss labor law defines the workload in hours per week and only requires a permit for Sunday work, Saturday is considered a regular working day. However, Swiss employers’ association is not advocating for a return to widespread Saturday work as they believe other measures like better integrating mothers and pensioners into the labor market are more effective in addressing the shortage of skilled workers.

The concept of the five-day workweek originated in American industrial sector in early 20th century with pioneers like Henry Ford promoting it. In Switzerland, transition to a five-day workweek was gradual with many companies maintaining a six-day workweek well into mid-20th century due to increasing wages and growing desire for more leisure time eventually led to acceptance of five days work week in Switzerland.

In 21st century, flexibility in work schedules has become more common with many workers opting for part-time arrangements. While five days work week remains norm in many industries, there is shift towards more flexible working time models. Some industries like construction are even seeing an increase in Saturday work due to shortage of skilled workers.

Overall, concept of the workweek continues evolve in response changing economic and social dynamics.