When can Ukraine switch to a four-day work week? The Employment Service provided an answer

Currently, there are no legislative initiatives in Ukraine regarding the reduction of the working week duration, however, available vacancies from employers are differentiated by working hours. This was reported by Yevheniya Pidlisna, Deputy Head of the Department for Work with Employers of the State Employment Service, as reported by UNN.

DetailsThe State Employment Service notes that it would be strange to talk about Ukraine’s transition to a four-day working week during the war. Ukrainians are either in the army or for the army. The labor market has also switched to military rails. Holidays during the war are considered ordinary working days, without double pay or compensation with additional rest. And it is possible to involve people in work on weekends during the war without the consent of the trade union. The maximum weekly volume of working hours is up to 60, instead of the usual 40 hours.

However, the institution does not rule out that in peaceful times, a discussion about switching to a four-day work week is possible.

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Today, Iceland, Germany, Belgium, Great Britain, Spain, France, Lithuania, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates are implementing a shortened working week model in certain sectors of their economies. At the beginning of the month, an experiment by the Ministry of Labor also started in Poland, where employers can offer their employees alternative models of shortened working hours.

What is the situation with a similar transition in Ukraine? Experts provided clarificationIn Ukraine, a four-day working week is not provided for at the legislative level. According to the Labor Code, 40 hours per week are standard. This time can be reduced for minors, people with disabilities, or by agreement with the employer. In addition, under martial law, the duration of the working week has been increased to 60 hours at certain critical infrastructure facilities.

Currently, there are no legislative initiatives in the country regarding the reduction of the working week duration, however, the vacancies available at the Service from employers are differentiated by working hours. There are jobs that offer a 5-day working week, part-time or irregular working hours, summarized working time accounting, shift work, with the division of the working day into parts and at night.

According to the State Employment Service, in Ukraine, a similar pilot project was attempted to be implemented in 2019 by the IT company Brighta.

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The first results after switching to a four-day work week were optimistic — employees became happier, and the level of burnout decreased. However, eventually, in some areas, productivity dropped, and the company revised its approach to determining the duration of the work week. This result is not new; many countries and companies that have switched to four working days note that despite better employee well-being, reduced stress, and burnout, a drop in their productivity is too often observed. This is especially noticeable in conditions of hourly wages.

Currently, the EIAC (unified information and analytical system) database contains information from employers regarding 876 available part-time vacancies throughout the country. All of them are multi-faceted, including: doctors, social workers, teachers, cleaners, practical psychologists, educators, drivers, packers, postmen, and others. The level of wages in such vacancies ranges from minimum to 60 thousand hryvnias.

Currently, countries that have introduced a four-day work week note that such a schedule is best suited for the IT sector, creative and analytical professions, and for the sphere with results-based pay. Such a work week is most inconvenient for the service sector, manufacturing, the agricultural sector, and jobs with hourly wages. For now, a four-day work week in Ukraine is possible in the format of local agreements, the institution added.

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