In recent years, the traditional five-day workweek has come under scrutiny as companies look for new ways to motivate their employees and address a shortage of skilled workers. While Switzerland was slow to adopt the five-day workweek, it is now widely accepted among the population. However, with many companies introducing a four-day workweek with the same salary, some are questioning whether this traditional schedule is still relevant in today’s economy.
In contrast to Switzerland, Greece recently changed its laws to allow some workers to opt for a six-day workweek in an effort to address a shortage of skilled workers. This raises the question of whether such a measure could be relevant for Switzerland as well. While Swiss labor law defines the workload in hours per week and only requires a permit for Sunday work, Saturday is considered a regular working day. However, Swiss employers are not advocating for a return to widespread Saturday work, as they see other measures like better integrating mothers and pensioners into the labor market as more effective in addressing the shortage of skilled workers.
The concept of the five-day workweek originated in the American industrial sector in the early 20th century, with pioneers like Henry Ford promoting the idea. In Switzerland, while there were no legal barriers to working on Saturdays unlike in Greece where legal adjustments were required for a six-day workweek, Saturday was always considered a regular working day. The transition to a five-day workweek was gradual in Switzerland with many companies maintaining a six-day workweek well into mid-20th century due to increasing wages and growing desire for leisure time.
In 21st century flexibility has become more common with many workers opting for part-time arrangements while some industries have even seen an increase in Saturday work due to shortages of skilled workers. While the five-day