4-day work week begins to be tested in Brazil

"The measure could trigger the opportunity for employees to find other jobs to supplement their income. And, if the objective was to rest, it ends up resulting in more work," he explains.

For Renata, this doesn't invalidate the program. "Everyone is excited and engaged here, but we always make it very clear that this is a productivity project, not just a reduction in hours," she explains.

The expert believes it's possible for some people to find other jobs during their free time. "But it can be work that brings more fulfillment and meaning, which doesn't create overload," she says.

Having more time to spend with family and having better-quality relationships is the goal, but for the expert, the possibility of someone who dreams of working with a hobby also represents a quality of life. "Of course, this project primarily addresses intellectual work, which requires moments of stress recovery."

Rethinking your career
A recent survey by education company Pearson showed that 76% of workers are rethinking their careers, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. Another study by Gallup found that 59% of workers have been doing the bare minimum, a movement known worldwide as "quiet quitting," in which employees do only the bare minimum to keep their jobs. Burnout is also on the rise, as are its costs, estimated at approximately US$322 billion worldwide.

Other studies show that around 73% of people do other things during a meeting, for example, and 71% of meetings are considered unproductive and ineffective, according to Renata Rivetti, founder of Reconnect. "Meetings are cited by 54% of workers as the biggest factor in productivity loss, as they are frequent, long, and poorly managed with irrelevant topics 25% of the time. Therefore, we show that a detailed agenda can help reduce meeting time by up to 80%."

All of this data is considered important, according to lawyer David Carvalho Martins. But there's still a dilemma between balancing family life and personal needs. "Furthermore, there's a lack of government incentives and labor issues to be addressed," he says. He believes the reduced work model will need to address issues related to information confidentiality when employees work for a competitor, or problems such as workplace accidents occurring while commuting between jobs.

Labor issues, in fact, have been a major concern for companies during discussions in Brazil. According to Rivetti, there are significant concerns regarding the CLT (Consolidation of Labor Laws). Therefore, the project has legal counsel who has proposed agreements with labor groups and unions, "to avoid risks and demonstrate that the initiative is a pilot project and that everything can return to normal if it doesn't work, without constituting a withdrawal of acquired rights."

See the list of companies registered in the project, which authorized disclosure:

From the Eternal
PiU Comunica Agency
Alimentare Nutrition and Services Ltd.
Brazil Screws Commercial Ltd.
Clara Associates
Clementino & Teixeira Law Firm
MOL Publishing House
Urban Fort
GR ACCOUNTING ADVISORY SIMPLE COMPANY
Greco Design
Haze Shift
Indianópolis Hospital
I wave.
Inspire
Maker Brands
THINK Studio
Plonge
Smart Duo
Soma CSC
Thanks for Sharing
Oxygen

Article originally published on January 10, 2024, on the InfoMoney website.