Germany tests shorter workweeks with positive early results; Greece resists change while Lithuania debates implementation.
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Germany is a significant example in the EU experimenting with shorter workweeks, with about 45 companies participating in a trial program offering a four-day week with full pay. Proponents suggest this can boost employee motivation and productivity while addressing labor shortages, with initial results showing improved job satisfaction through internal reorganization and more focused work. However, some observers note that participating companies are already innovative, potentially skewing the results. Meanwhile, Greece is moving in the opposite direction, increasing daily working hours, and lacks systematic studies on the effects of reduced working time, despite strong social demand for shorter hours. In Lithuania, while the Prime Minister supports the four-day week as inevitable, trade union representatives express concerns that it might lead to reduced leisure time or harm the economy, noting existing legal frameworks that could allow for lower wages and the tendency of employees to seek additional work.
