An engineering office in the northwest of Munich has introduced the four-day week. The managing director sees many advantages - but also a downside.
Munich – “We started thinking about it at the beginning of 2023,” remembers Robert Ottitsch. “We considered it for a long time and finally decided to do this.” On January 1, 2024, Managing Director Ottitsch introduced the four-day week in his engineering office in the northwest of Munich. With full payment.
“The desire to work less was very great. The employee interviews showed us this.” Ottitsch works with two authorized representatives in his company. The engineering office with 50 employees takes on the planning of large buildings and designs the building services for museums and other cultural institutions.
Engineering office in Munich introduces four-day week: Managing director reports on experiences
“When others talk about the shortage of skilled workers, I can only laugh,” says Ottitsch. “We've had this for ten years. We need specialists, people who have studied building technology. The segment is very small.” With the introduction of the four-day week, the aim was to bind employees more closely to the company. This was successful, says the managing director after the start-up phase. “There is a very good atmosphere in the office. Many of our employees also do something private together on their Friday off.” Recently, the engineering office has received more applications again.
So everyone is in the office for ten hours. That's been a long time.
Robert Ottitsch also sees disadvantages of the four-day week
Previously, employees in Ottitsch's company were on duty for 40 hours, spread over five days. On Friday it was over at 2 p.m. Since the beginning of the year, the week has ended on Thursday. 36 hours are now spread over four days. “If we work for nine hours, we have to take an hour break,” explains the managing director. “So everyone is in the office for ten hours. It’s been a long time.”
Many employees wanted a four-day week: “We didn’t want to close ourselves off.”
“The coin has two sides,” Ottitsch sums up with regard to the new working model. “We don’t get the same performance in 36 hours.” He also notices that some people find it difficult to stay focused on longer working days.
Competitors often have a completely different approach, reports Ottitsch. “Many have too few employees and order overtime. We decided to go the other way.” For him and his two authorized representatives, the satisfaction of the workforce is the top priority. “We didn’t want to ignore this wish.” All employees could have chosen in advance whether they wanted to keep the old model or switch to the four-day week. Only two decided against the new operating hours, and in each case this was done with childcare in mind.
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“For me it depends a lot on the industry”
Would he fully recommend the introduction of a four-day week? “For me, it depends a lot on the industry,” says Ottitsch. “It should be possible to work a little more every day.” It is crucial to seek communication with the workforce in advance. “The most important thing is that the employees really want it.”