For Germans, time will pass differently at work. Chancellor Merz’s plan
The Germans are spinning. Chancellor Merc has an idea on how to break employees out of lethargy – the traditional eight-hour working day may soon become a thing of the past. What is the reason for this?
Germans don’t overwork themselves, certainly not compared to Poles. The EU average in 2025 was 35 hours, but Poles work 38 hours. Germany, on the other hand, only took 33.4 hours.
People work longer than in Poland in Lithuania and Bulgaria (38.6 hours), in Romania (38.4 hours) and in Latvia (38.3 hours). In more developed countries, working hours are clearly shorter – in the Netherlands only 29.7 hours, in Denmark 32.4 hours, in Belgium 32.6 hours, in Austria – 33 hours. The Germans want to follow a different path.
Knowledge-based work or eight-hour-a-day work? Whatever suits you
The Merz government plans to make working hours more flexible. Instead of daily maximum working hours, there will only be weekly maximum working hours. What’s more, German business is in favor. The German Confederation of Trade Unions and part of the opposition are protesting against this.
According to Marcel Fratzscher, president of the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), for the fr.de portal, “the abolition of the eight-hour working day is not the only breakthrough that will push Germany forward again.”
Aled Nelmes, CEO of Lumen SEO, who introduced flexible working hours in his company – successfully – has a different opinion. Instead of “four days, eight hours a day” it’s “32 hours a week.” Employees can work seven days a week, in the morning, in the evening or on Saturday or Sunday, as long as weekend work suits them. The company has nothing to do with it. In addition, employees benefit from menstrual leave, health coaching and access to therapists.
“Knowledge-based work depends on its quality, not duration. More and more people are starting to understand this – at least in the area of office work,” said Aled Nelmes in an interview for Frankfurter Rundschau
Four days at work is the first stage. The goal is flexibility
What is the effect of the change? Sales in 2025 increased by 80%. Aled Nelmes believes that the reduction in working hours contributed at least 50 percent to this increase. “Honestly, what matters most to us now is the financial result. Satisfied employees do excellent work, regardless of the number of hours worked,” admits Nelmes.
The first stage of changes in Lumen SEO was a four-day work week, a concept known in Germany. One in ten companies use it.
Interestingly, in only about one percent of cases, employees then retain their full wages, which is why the German Chancellor did not mince his words: “We will not be able to maintain the prosperity of this country with a four-day week and work-life balance,” he declared a few months ago.
Germany fears that flexible working time will not work for nurses, assembly line workers or teachers. Aled Nelmes responds that thanks to automation and artificial intelligence, there is no reason why a shift model cannot be developed in which someone is always on duty.
“If an employer uses its employees in the classic working model from 9:00 to 17:00, it will also do so in the 32-hour model. It is a matter of company culture, not working hours,” Nelmes said in an interview for FR.
