Complete your 40 hours of weekly work in four days… instead of five. This is what public petition no. 3441 calls for. Open for signatures since December 13, it has so far received some 730 supporters. This represents 16% of the 4,500 signatures needed to organize a debate in the House.
According to petitioner Sonia Nejjoum, working 40 hours over four days would increase the well-being of employees. Provided of course that this rule is adapted to the realities of each sector. “This flexibility would make it possible to better balance professional and private life, while maintaining the productivity and efficiency of businesses,” she writes on the website of the Chamber of Deputies.
This question of well-being at work remains central. According to the “Quality of Work 2023” report, 83% of employees in the Grand Duchy work full time. This percentage is even higher among 25-34 year olds, 92% of whom work 40-hour weeks.
The author of the petition highlights several advantages, including the “increased well-being” that this measure would induce. “Having an extra day off reduces stress and fatigue. This means more motivated, healthier and more productive employees,” she believes.
To explore these issues in greater depth, Comma turned to Camille Procureur, founder of Workplace Well-Being, a company specializing in well-being at work.
“Offer each employee a moment of respite”
“At the beginning, I offered chair massages in companies,” begins Camille Procureur. This is a quick and effective solution to provide a moment of well-being in the workplace. Today, I vary my services to reach as many employees as possible on themes that are important to them.” The expert offers coaching, team-building and stress management sessions.
“My goal is simple: to offer each employee a moment of respite, a moment entirely dedicated to them in the middle of often busy days. Because we forget it too often, but taking care of yourself also means taking better care of others and your work.”
Lower productivity
Concerning the debates raised by the petition, Camille Procureur remains mixed. “As part of my work, I interact very regularly with business leaders. But we have not had a discussion about the possibility of spreading 40 hours of work over four days. They do not seem interested in such a measure. Because if the employee works more, he will be less efficient. Productivity will decrease.”
That would mean working ten hours a day, it’s very intense. Currently, employees are in the office eight hours a day and moral as well as physical exhaustion is already being felt.
Camille Prosecutor
fondatrice de Workplace Well-Being
Camille Procureur insists on the particular position of the Grand Duchy. According to Adem, around 75% of the country’s workforce is made up of immigrant or cross-border workers. “Cross-border workers, who come from France or Belgium, travel every morning to come and work in Luxembourg. Travel times are more or less long and are added to their professional activity.”
Teleworking also enters the equation. “The possibility of a four-day week will automatically be of greater interest to employees. They can do their ten hours of work remotely. This would be a more practical solution. And offering an additional day of break would allow the country to remain attractive. In a market like that of Luxembourg, where competition is strong, this can make the difference.”
“All things considered, the four-day week is a dream,” she adds. At first glance, it seems to respond to a need for balance between professional and personal life. But as in everything, the reality is more complex.
A balance between work and private life
If the expert does not seem convinced by the possibility of completing the 40 hours in four days, she nevertheless highlights an undeniable advantage. “The employee will be entitled to an additional day of break. And, in fact, our lives are more rhythmic than 10 or 15 years ago. Now we do more activities and outings alongside our jobs.”
“The new generation is therefore looking for a balance between professional and private lives. Before, the employee planned his career in one and the same company. Now, we talk more about taking trips and extra-professional outings. From this point of view, I have noticed a change in mentality over the past ten years.”
Regarding this balance, petitioner Sonia Nejjoum insists on better “work-life balance”. According to her, “one day [de repos] In addition, it allows you to better take care of your children, your hobbies and your personal commitments.”
A disrupted family life
For Camille Procureur, working one day less in the week would be meaningless. “Certainly, parents will be able to look after their children on the day they are not working. But if they work 10 hours a day, they won’t have time to pick them up from school, or prepare food for them in the evening. It’s a bit like eating a bar of chocolate all at once: you enjoy it intensely in the moment, but you lose the pleasure of the little squares savored every day.”
To guarantee real well-being, the entrepreneur mentions the possibility of working four days for eight hours a day. “This would be a good alternative, both for recruiters and employees,” she reflects. Exercising a job ten hours a day, whether physical or intellectual, remains very difficult. The key word is balance. However, this is not there when you work too much. Overworking is never a good idea.”
The four-day week is an idea worth exploring, but it must remain an option, not an obligation.
Camille Prosecutor
fondatrice de Workplace Well-Being
If a company nevertheless decides to embark on a 40-hour week in four days, Camille Procureur gives it some advice. “It is imperative to listen to employees. This new rule might suit a certain number of people, but others would be against it.”
“The four-day week is an idea to explore, but it must remain an option, not an obligation. What matters is allowing each employee and each company to find what suits them best,” she concludes. It remains to be seen whether this model will be able to adapt to the specificities of workers in Luxembourg.
