Short-time working helps against the shortage of skilled workers and increases employee satisfaction and productivity. That was the central message from AK president Renate Anderl at a press conference on Monday. The message was supported by the case study of the Upper Austrian IT company eMagnetix, which introduced the 30-hour work week with full pay compensation in 2018 and was able to significantly increase the number of job applicants.
“We have increased our applications by a factor of ten,” said eMagnetix CEO Klaus Hochreiter at the presentation. Six years ago, ten people applied for a junior position, now there are 100. On average, 80 people would now apply for senior positions at the online marketing agency. There were practically no interested parties to be found here.
Call to Labor Minister Kocher
Entire industries would be surprised they couldn’t find workers, said Chamber of Labor president Anderl. “It would be very simple: if you are looking for good people, they simply offer good employment conditions.” But politicians are also obliged: Labor Minister Martin Kocher (ÖVP) was called upon to address the issue of short-time working now with the involvement of the social partners. In addition, the solidarity premium must be advertised with a campaign, Anderl says. In the solidarity premium model, there is a subsidy from the AMS if employees want to reduce their normal working hours and the company hires a new employee for this.
Employees are healthier and more motivated
The eMagnetix model doesn’t translate one-to-one to other areas, but it has shown it to be a way to attract more employees, Anderl said. The evaluation also showed that employees were more motivated and healthier at work. This was also confirmed by Anna Arlinghaus of working time consultancy Ximes, who evaluated the project in 2019 and 2022 and interviewed the employees. They would indicate that they have more time for private affairs, to sleep more and to follow more training.
The company’s employees still feel fit after work, which Arlinghaus sees as an indication that the reduction in working hours has not led to more stress, but that the reduction in working time has been achieved through better work organisation.
Many benefits for companies too
According to eMagnetix boss Hochreiter, the change is also a win for entrepreneurs: Not only is it easier to find better candidates for open positions, but the low employee turnover also saves a lot of money. Productivity in his company has also increased significantly, he explains. In addition, the reduction in working hours reduces the pay gap between men and women, ie the pay gap between men and women. “We’re taking women out of the part-time trap and men out of the full-time trap,” as the AK president put it.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
