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Belgium Announces 4-Day Work Week, Right To Ignore Bosses After Office Hours
Writer: Tashafi Nazir
For most people, journalism sounds hectic and chaotic. For her, it's a passion she has been chasing for years. With an extensive media background, Tashafi believes in putting efforts on presenting a simple incident in the most interesting way.
Others/World, 18 Feb 2022 6:08 AM GMT
Editor : Shiva Chaudhary |
A post-graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication with relevant skills, specialising in content editing & writing. I believe in the precise dissemination of information based on facts to the public.
Creatives : Tashafi Nazir
For most people, journalism sounds hectic and chaotic. For her, it's a passion she has been chasing for years. With an extensive media background, Tashafi believes in putting efforts on presenting a simple incident in the most interesting way.
In December 2021, UAE became the first country to transition to a four-day workweek officially. Iceland, Japan, Scotland and Spain also announced plans to try four-day working weeks last year.
Intending to bring flexibility in the rigid labour market, the Belgium government has allowed its employees to work for four days a week by agreeing to a new labour accord earlier this week.
Belgium has joined an increasing list of countries offering a four-day workweek with this move.
After his seven-party coalition federal government reached a deal overnight, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said that the development is part of a significant COVID-era shake-up of labour laws.
"The COVID period has forced us to work more flexibly - the labour market needs to adapt to that," he told journalists.
Right To Disconnect After Work
The most significant change is the right to turn off work devices and ignore work-related messages and calls after office hours without fear of reprisal. The measures intend to enhance the quality of life of Belgian citizens and offer them better work-life balance, NDTV reported.
The new measures would allow employees to clock up 38 hours of work over four days instead of five, opening the possibility to permanent long weekends, or a day of parenting, without any salary deduction.
The flexibility principle would also allow employees to work more hours in one week to have a much lighter week the next.
However, any request needs to get approved by the boss. Such managed flexibility would only be an option for those employees working in big companies, where the workload can be more easily distributed.
Implementation Of Changes
According to the federal government document, the changes won't be implemented immediately. Before any amendment, unions will have their say on a draft bill, then the Council of State will scrutinise the legislation before the parliament votes.
Other Countries
In December 2021, UAE officially became the first country to transition to a four-day workweek. Scotland launched a trial four-day workweek in September last year. Iceland, Japan and Spain also announced plans to try four-day working weeks in 2021.
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