"I have many people who suggest that we should have a 4-day work week, hear," said the new Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, most recently, in an informal Live Video on Facebook. Many new Zealanders would have told her that they would travel more in their own country, if you have times, more flexible working. It is a matter between employers and employees is, ultimately, the head of government. Nevertheless, they wanted to encourage the employers in your country, on the introduction of a 4-day work week and other flexible working time models to reflect, as this would help with security of the tourism economy in the whole country.

new Zealand's tourism is to Corona broke

Background: new Zealand's tourism industry is difficult to been of the corona crisis hit. While the state has explained, because there are no active cases more recently, the pandemic was officially declared over and all of the Corona-restrictions were lifted. However, for international travelers, the borders will remain closed. The chief analyst of the Australian-new Zealand Bank ANZ, Sharon Zollner, anticipates a decline in the gross domestic product of up to ten percent. "We are all happy about the loosening. But the recession will come. And it is bad.“

in order To counter the economic consequences of the pandemic in "Down Under", operates in new Zealand, yet similar to many other States: It is pumping billions into the economy - among other things, in the creation of new jobs. The idea of a reduction in working time, from the crisis to come out, on the other hand is unique in the world. Can you work?

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workers: "you have to be super productive"

The labour market expert Alexander Herzog-Stein does not believe that the introduction of a 4-day-a-week positive demand could have effects for the tourism industry. "More holidays in the sense of Travel fails in General, not to a lack of time, but insufficient income of the households for the additional recreational activities." This does not mean, however, that it was not the time, modern working time models to think about, as Herzog-Stein in an interview with FOCUS Online. "This is absolutely necessary."

the Cologne-based Economist and labour market researchers Alexander Spermann holds the reasoning of the new Zealand Prime Minister was difficult to understand. "If a 4-day week would be introduced without a change in income, then people would have three days per week for domestic tourism. This assumes that you are working in the four days super productive, so employers pay them just as much as five days of work.“ However, this would lead within a short period of time to extreme Work hardening and the work-related stress is expected to increase substantially, argues Spermann to FOCUS Online. In order to strengthen the tourism sector, it would be better to discounted domestic travel, for example, a temporary lowering of the VAT. The world is better than your bad news - FOCUS Online provides you every Friday with the best stories from the field perspectives. Subscribe here for free Newsletter:

Work-Life Balance: more and more companies are loosening of rigid work-time models

Nevertheless, new Zealand with his foray into a work-time reduction global headlines. Although the idea of a four-day work week is not new, it is discussed just now, after Corona hot again. More and more companies are loosening of rigid work-time models and aim instead for more flexibility.

In Japan, for example, where workers have to make the most of the working hours in the world, Microsoft has sent in the past year, his staff at the company's headquarters in Tokyo test on Thursday into the weekend. Their productivity has also risen according to 40 percent. The chief of the new Zealand law consultancy, Andrew Barnes, says that the shift to 4-day week have made its employees happier and healthier. And also in Germany, some companies, such as, for example, the Berlin-based Startup Tandemploy have reduced long working hours.

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Trend in working time is not necessarily shorter, but more flexible

That employees the Work-Life Balance is becoming more and more important, is undisputed. At the same time, representative analyses, however, show that the people do not want to work in the medium today, even less than 20 or 30 years ago, the economic concerns of the scientists, Enzo Weber of the Institute for labour market and occupational research (IAB) to FOCUS Online. "Although a lot of people want to be employed, especially full – time and at high professional responsibility in their actual working hours to reduce. However, the desired reduction is normally less than one day per week.“ Many part-time employees would want to extend their working hours tend to be even, says Weber. "The Trend in working hours is therefore: not necessarily for all of the shorter, but in a self-determined and flexible."

If full-time employees to reduce their working hours tend to be, as it now welcomes the new Zealand government, see labour market experts in an opportunity for the Situation of many women in part-time jobs. If this would work more and in turn, men are less, so the Argumentation, would be distributed to unpaid care responsibilities.

the labour market: the More inclusive 4-day week?

The model of a "reduced full time" has been established in the Nordic countries. Also, labour market expert Spermann considers it a Chance for a more inclusive labour market. "A state-mandated 4-day week in Germany, however, is a mistake." The required productivity of relapses within a short period of time "for an economy is an Illusion", is Spermann convinced. "It could be, however, that due to digitisation and the international division of labour previously unimaginable increases in productivity will be possible to make a 4-day work week in Germany is conceivable."

The lump sum requirement after a 4-day week will of the modern working world, however, not meet, is also convinced Herzog-Stein. "The proposal is interesting, if it is so understood that it is the idea of a condensed full – time and not just an additional, possibly even unpaid – extra day off in a work week." In principle, the idea of such a "short full-time" from 30 hours a week was also for Germany.

Overall, is concerned, the labour market expert, is Germany in a modern organisation of working time in comparison to other countries very far to the front. Modern collective-contractual working arrangements, such as, for example, in the metal and electrical industry would take into account the life situation of employees. "Such arrangements work on a medium level, and more effective than state regulations or individual agreements, the need to negotiate individual Employees with their employer," says Herzog-Stein.

With Material from dpa

In the FOCUS Online/Wochit In the

Reuters/cdo

Date Of Update: 10 June 2020, 10:26