Lamborghini, the luxury automaker, has agreed with its union to adopt a four-day workweek for its production employees, a historic agreement that reduces hours without cutting wages.
The deal between the Italian automaker and the union is the first agreement of its kind in the European auto industry that reduces working hours without a wage cut—instead, it includes a raise and a one-time bonus of $1,082 in the next month.
Lamborghini isn’t the only company in Europe to adopt the shortened workweek—others, like the bank Intesa Sanpaolo and eyewear company EssilorLuxottica, have also recently made the change.
Number of Workdays Reduced
Lamborghini workers on a two-shift schedule will work a five-day week, followed by a four-day week that will reduce the number of yearly workdays by 22. Workers on a three-shift schedule will work a five-day week and then two four-day weeks, which reduces the yearly workdays by 31.
9/80 Schedule
Some employers in the U.S. are choosing the 9/80 schedule, or 80 hours of work in nine days. The option strikes a balance between the regular five-day workweek and the four-day workweek, granting workers every other Friday off. Here are some practical and legal tips on adopting such a schedule.
UAW’s Demand for Four-Day Workweek Dropped
The United Auto Workers dropped its initial demand for a four-day workweek in its negotiations with GM, Ford and Stellantis. Under the initial proposal, workers would have put in 32 hours and gotten paid for 40 hours; they would receive overtime pay for work beyond 32 hours.
Ohio Manufacturer’s Experience with Shorter Workweek
Advanced RV, a builder of custom, luxury motorhomes in Willoughby, Ohio, is one of more than 200 companies globally—a handful of them manufacturers—adopting a four-day workweek as part of a trial led by the organization 4 Day Week Global. Not every employee at the company initially wanted to make the switch. Productivity and profits dipped at first, but now a year and a half into the experiment, the company has nearly recovered the productivity losses. Judged by overall employee satisfaction, the schedule has been a success.
Source: SHRM
