Slow take-up for four-day working week

A Belgian scheme allowing employees to reorganise their full-time job from five eight-hour days to four longer 9.5 hour days has not been a great success, according to a study by Belgian human resources specialists Acerta Consult.The "Deal for Jobs" launched in November 2022 and allows flexible working and compressed hours, with the employer’s agreement.Only 0.75% of private sector workers have opted for this working pattern and 2.75% of companies have applied it to at least some of their staff this year, according to the research based on data from 21,000 employees and 220,000 workers on permanent full-time contracts.However, flexible worki…