At a Glance:
- The Belgian workday has been officially changed to a four-day week at the same pay.
- If the union agrees, the workday can increase from 8 hours to 10 hours, with a four-day working week.
- This is to help employees to have work flexibility and have a work-life balance.
The government has agreed on a new labor accord and the Belgian employees will now have a four-day working week. This new rule was aimed at bringing flexibility to the inflexible labor market.
The Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo, after his seven-party coalition federal government reached a deal overnight, he acknowledged that the working norms have changed for the workforce. With the advent of COVID, employees have learned to work more flexibly by combining their work and private lives. “This has led to new ways of working,” he told a press conference.
Four-day working benefits
If the unions agree, the employees will be able to work 10 hours per day upon request, instead of a maximum of 8 hours. This will reduce their one day work from the week for the same wages.
The Belgian workforce will also be allowed to choose between working more during one week and less the following one. This will help the employees manage the work-life balance. The new rule also helps employees’ that are co-parenting and can dedicate more hours to their kids.
Post-COVID allowing flexible work shifts
With the flexible working week, people can enjoy three days’ weekends and organize their schedules effectively. This will promote better work results too. The agreement also gave the employees the right to disconnect from the normal working hours for companies with more than 20 employees.
There was also a new set of rules for platform workers that are employed through internet platforms. The new criteria consider them as employees. With the new rules and flexible work environment Belgium aims to grow the employment rate from 71.4% last year to 80% by 2030.
