Is part-time work for full-time pay the future?
When Dutch company AFAS Software announced that its employees would work four days per week for the same full-time pay, many people asked: how’s that possible? Professor Olaf van Vliet spoke to Trouw and Nu.nl about the challenges of this model.
Almost all AFAS employees will have every Friday off from 1 January 2025 onwards. The idea is that they will use this time to develop themselves in some way. For example, by using the day to study, look after their children, care for relatives or do voluntary work. AFAS hopes that the productivity and health of its staff will improve as a result.
Professor van Vliet is closely following this discussion on work-life balance. Is AFAS’s model a viable alternative in the business world? He has doubts: 'AFAS seems to be able to afford it. If people are feeling better, they’re more likely to perform better. But by how much? 5%? 10%? AFAS is essentially giving its employees a 25% pay rise, sharing its high profits with them. I wonder how many companies would consider doing the same, and whether they can afford it.'
Read more in the articles (in Dutch) published in Trouw (€) and on Nu.nl.
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