Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1540549
ALEX Borg's proposal for a four-day week sounds great on paper. If it's imple- mented, employees could officially start their weekend on a Friday (for example) which would lessen the stress of trying to cram errands and chores into two days. Anyone with a family who works full- time Monday to Friday knows what it's like to wake up on Saturday morning with an audible groan, rather than that delicious feeling of carefree pleasure we felt when we were young, single and had no responsibilities. Adulthood and espe- cially parenthood generally means that Saturday mornings are the time you do housework, grocery shopping and fer- ry the kids around to their various ex- tra-curricular activities. The day is gone before you know it. Sunday is when you try to fit in some family quality time which means differ- ent things to different households. Some people brave the Sunday driving to get some fresh air or visit relatives, others prefer to stay at home, vegetate and try to recuperate, recharging their batteries as best as they can before Monday inevi- tably rolls around again. For those with school-age children, 'Monday' officially starts around 6pm on Sunday when they have to prepare uniforms, lunches and brace themselves for one of the children to suddenly re- member that they forgot to finish their homework. So, I can see how the promise of having another day off is tantalising. Speaking in an interview, Alex Borg outlined his idea: "As a testing ground, I'll start im- plementing it with certain government departments. If it works, and it turns out that productivity, efficiency and returns have increased as a result of a four-day week, we could then start slowly imple- menting it in the private sector through incentives." In fact what he is suggesting is noth- ing new. Former Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin recently called for a more flexible work schedule, consisting of a four-day work week of six hours a day. Marin said that a flexible work sched- ule would give employees more time to spend with their families. If this seems so far-fetched that it can- not possibly work, Madeline Grecek, writing on the website remote.com, outlined which countries have already successfully implemented this model. Here are some actual examples which I'm quoting from her article which have adopted different models. In February 2022, Belgium introduced legislation allowing employees to con- dense their full 38-hour workweek into four days without losing pay. This re- form was part of a broader labour market modernisation effort, aimed at increas- ing flexibility and boosting productivity. Iceland conducted one of the world's largest and most influential trials be- tween 2015 and 2019. The pilot—which included 2,500 public sector workers (over 1% of the country's entire work- force)—reduced weekly working hours from 40 to 35 without reducing pay, with results showing improvements across productivity, job satisfaction, and wellbeing. Today, following negotiations with their unions, 86% of Iceland's work- force have either adopted shorter hours or gained the right to request them. Since 2022, Lithuania has offered a shorter work week to employees with children under the age of three who work in the public sector. They are en- titled to a 32-hour week without any reduction in salary to support working parents, reduce stress, and help balance family responsibilities. Apart from these countries, she points out that there are others which have car- ried out pilot projects, namely the UK, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Japan, Ire- land and New Zealand. From the point of view of employees the results were positive, as they reported better mental health, less sick days and a better work- life balance. Looking at what has happened else- where you would think, this is brilliant, why not introduce it here? But this is where we come to the crunch. I'm sorry to sound so cynical about my fellow Mal- tese, but what guarantee do we have that they will actually use that extra day to spend time with their family rather than concocting some kind of side hustle, do- ing a part-time job while still being paid for their actual job? It seems I am not alone in my scepti- cism: The Malta Chamber of SMEs, the Malta Hotel and Restaurants Associ- ation and the Malta Chamber of Com- merce all expressed their misgivings cit- ing less productivity and predicting that it will be economically damaging. Unfortunately, working with a govern- ment department or entity is already perceived as a job where you can literally do nothing all day or skive off work while roaming around the streets of Valletta, and still get paid without any reprimand or warning because no one will fire you. A job for life with the least amount of stress possible—that's the mental image many have of civil servants which is why a "job mal-gvern" tops the list of 'Best Job Ever'. The biggest hurdle I can see is a down- turn in productivity. We are already in a situation where some departments are so over-staffed with people who have been employed because of their political allegiance that they are basically "pro- tected". Now add another layer to that (working one day less), and in my mind's eye I can see documents and files po- tentially piling up on a backroom desk, remaining unprocessed to the detriment of the general public. And let us not for- get that untouchable Holy Grail: sum- mer half days. Would they also remain intact? For a four-day week to work it is essen- tial for it to be linked with actual results. There must be deterrents for those who do not deliver, and those who abuse of the situation in some way, should be penalised. How can that be actioned in practice? Ahh, that is the crux of the matter. The problems which can arise were succinctly explained by the director gen- eral of the Malta Employers' Association Kevin Borg, who warned against prom- ising unrealistic "populist" measures. "Proposals that disregard the realities of productivity and labour market dynam- ics risk creating unsustainable working conditions and false expectations that will ultimately harm both the workforce at large and the broader long-term na- tional interest… By its nature, the public sector is not subject to the commercial pressures that drive efficiency and inno- vation in the private sector," he pointed out. Interestingly, he says that the trials in other countries have led to less pro- ductivity and more operational challeng- es. In short, what we do not need is even more people clamouring for jobs with the public sector, leading to a workforce shortage within the private sector, which in turn will lead to having to recruit from abroad. This at a time when 'all these for- eigners' seem to be the target and scape- goats for all our woes. So, while working only four days a week is enticing I think we have to be careful what we wish for. Perhaps rather than going down to a four-day week, maybe first what we should be striving for is something which has long been discussed—more flexibility which includes the option of remote working on certain days. As is often pointed out, we miraculously man- aged to do it during lockdown and yet suddenly it seems to be out of the ques- tion. All desk jobs can offer this type of hybrid model and productivity can be easily monitored. There just needs to be the political will to do it, and that is why government entities should be at the forefront of this model, rather than being the first to demand they want their employees physically back at the office because they are obsessed with micro-managing—which doesn't neces- sarily mean more productivity. 3 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 19 OCTOBER 2025 OPINION Josanne Cassar A four-day week sounds good on paper, but in practice She has worked in the field of communications and journalism for the last 30 years