Dominican Republic decided to try a four-day work week: “Priority is given to people”

In 2023, the UK took the same step

Conversations about switching employees to a shorter work week are taking place with varying degrees of frequency around the world. However, not everyone is ready to decide on this. The Dominican Republic intends to launch a pilot project of this mode of operation.

Companies in the Dominican Republic are preparing for a voluntary six-month pilot of a four-day work week, the first step of its kind for the Caribbean island country.

The initiative will launch in February. At the same time, company employees will receive the same salary, the Dominican Republic government said, and the standard work week will be reduced from 44 hours to 36 hours from Monday to Thursday.

“Priority is given to people, improving health and well-being, and promoting sustainable and environmentally friendly productivity,” said Labor Minister Luis Miguel de Camps.

The upcoming experiment will involve Latin American telecommunications company Claro, energy company EGE Haina, heavy equipment manufacturer IMCA and the government health insurance agency.

The local university is tasked with analyzing the results, including any changes in workers’ health and the relationship between work and their personal lives.

Currently, in the Dominican Republic, companies work eight hours on weekdays, plus four hours on Saturdays. However, each enterprise has the right to distribute working hours at its own discretion, provided that they do not exceed 44 hours per week.

In 2023, the UK launched what was considered the world’s largest trial of a four-day working week. Positive results were obtained. Then the vast majority of companies decided to continue working on a reduced schedule. Of the 61 companies that participated in the six-month experiment, 56 extended the four-day week, including 18 of them making it permanent.

The project manager said at the time: “In many sectors, employee wellbeing has improved dramatically, and in almost every case, business productivity has either been maintained or improved. We are very pleased with the results and hope they show that the time has certainly come for wider adoption of the four-day week.”

Employees of these companies also shared positive feedback about this work arrangement. Thus, David Alatorre, technical director of Rivelin Robotics, noted: “It’s nice to have flexibility, which is very important to me personally: on Friday, even if I have to work a little, I can be at home, walk the dog, go rock climbing.”

Employee surveys conducted before and after the experiment showed that 39% of workers experienced less stress, 40% slept better, and 54% said they found it easier to balance work and home responsibilities.

The number of sick days taken during the trial fell by about two-thirds, and 57% fewer employees left companies that took part compared to the same period a year earlier.

Some American companies have also switched to shorter workweeks, and in Chile, lawmakers approved a bill to reduce the workweek from 45 to 40 hours.