As of: February 4, 2024, 4:46 a.m
By: Franziska Kaindl
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Many people dream of working less - but this usually means less pay.
You can calculate how much salary you would lose.
Pilot projects in the UK have shown that workers are less stressed, sick less often and even more productive on a four-day week.
In Germany, too, around 81 full-time employees would like to work only four days a week with correspondingly lower weekly working hours, as a study by the Hans Böckler Foundation has found.
However, 73 percent only want this if they still receive the same wage.
Eight percent of employees would accept a lower salary for more free time.
And according to a study by the Bertelsmann Foundation, 50 percent of men think that they work more than they are actually comfortable with - the figure for women is 41 percent.
How much salary is left if you cut hours?
Whether switching to part-time is worthwhile for you personally depends on various factors - including gross salary, tax class and working hours.
A shorter hourly week usually means less salary, although the reduction is often not as significant as you might think.
If you switch from a 40-hour week to a 30-hour week, you would receive 25 percent less gross salary, as Handelsblatt
calculates
.
But it doesn't mean the same for the net salary because the taxes are progressive.
This means that the net salary usually does not fall as much as the gross salary.
Ultimately, you will earn more net wages per hour working part-time than working full-time.
Part-time work is often associated with less salary - but at least there is usually more net.
© Markus Mainka/Imago
You can find out how much your salary would fall if your hours were reduced using an online calculator, for example.
Zeit Online offers one behind a payment barrier: Here you have to enter your current working hours, the desired new working hours and your gross salary.
Further information on the tax class, the number of children and church tax refines the result.
Don't miss out: You can find everything about careers in the career newsletter from our partner Merkur.de.
Can I go from part-time back to full-time?
There is no legal right to return from part-time to full-time.
This is what you should keep in mind if you decide to reduce hours.
However, your employer must take you into account for new positions that are advertised.
It is easier for employees who have chosen temporary part-time work, also known as “bridge part-time”.
However, this option has only been available since 2019 - anyone who worked part-time before then does not benefit from it.
With the help of “bridge part-time” employees can undertake a temporary part-time phase and return to full-time employment after at least one to a maximum of five years.
The requirements are that there are more than 45 employees in the company and you have worked there for more than six months.