The modern relation to work is something we give much less thought to than we probably should. Not only does work provide the central structure to how we organise our weeks and months, it also is how most of us define ourselves as people – our professional activity marking us out in our communities.
As a result, our careers have a decisive role in our personal progression, both conceptually and practically. Yet the distinction between work and personal has been blurred in an era of hyperconnectivity. And if the barrier between the two had already been eroded before the pandemic, an imposed period of WFH incontrovertibly shattered this divide.
The result has been revolutionary as we learnt to work differently, perhaps relocating or maintaining less rigid hours. It took this monumental event to allow us to reconsider the structure that governs how we live. Management fears about a dip in productivity were put to the test and in many cases proved unfounded.
So is it time to ditch the five-day week, compressing the weekly number of hours into four days? Some companies have been testing just this and the results have been largely positive. Whilst accepting that some industries would not be able to implement such a change, what if four-day weeks became the norm?
Despite it being proven possible, it's unlikely that we will see a mass transition very soon. For reasons mentioned above, the propensity for work has been baked into the social psyche. The pre-industrial vision of man being liberated from days of toil by more efficient machines never came to pass. Instead, jobs evolved as economies grew and rampant consumerism created an insatiable appetite for more stuff.
It will take much more than advances in technology and successful pilot projects to change the entire mindset towards work – much as we might wish otherwise. All the same, the tests have been encouraging and Belgium is making moves to allow for the working week to be squeezed into four days.
Not all sectors will benefit but a gradual shift to how we divide our time seems inevitable, gradual though it will most probably be. Would you be able to make the switch? And would you want to?
Let @Orlando_tbt know.
Belgium in Brief is a free daily roundup of the top stories to get you through your coffee break conversations. To receive it straight to your inbox every day, sign up below:
1. Delhaize shops remain closed: Unions walk out of talks with management
Trade unions met with Delhaize management on Tuesday morning for the first of three information sessions, but have reportedly walked out of the meeting after 15 minutes following deep "disagreement" over the proposed franchising move. Around 95 Delhaize shops remain closed on Tuesday, announced a spokesperson for Delhaize, Roel Dekelver. Read more.
2. 'Stretching the work model': How to approach Belgium's four-day working week
Following the successful introduction of a four-day working week pilot project in the United Kingdom, several companies in Belgium have also implemented this system. They have hailed it as the solution for employees to find a better work-life balance. Read more.
3. Belgians 'increasingly pessimistic' over worsening financial situation
A new study has detailed the extent to which Belgians' financial situation has deteriorated over the past year, demonstrating that despite the welcome decrease in gas and electricity prices, Belgians' cost of living crisis is far from over. Read more.
4. Women suspected of wearing explosive vest in Brussels arrested
A woman suspected of having walked into a police station in Brussels wearing an explosive vest on Monday has been detained by Federal Railway Police (SPC metro) at Brussels-South Station, Belgian newspaper La Dernière Heure reports. Read more.
5. Second Michelin star for Brussels chef Karen Torosyan and the Bozar Restaurant
The Brussels establishment Bozar Restaurant, by chef Karen Torosyan, was crowned with a second Michelin star on Monday during a ceremony at the Royal Theatre in Mons. Read more.
6. 'Tri-state' train between Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany gets green light
The "three-state train" that was envisaged years ago to run between Liège, Maastricht and Aachen will finally stop in Belgium. Starting in December this year, a direct line will connect Maastricht and Aachen with the Walloon city. Read more.
7. Hidden Belgium: Coudenberg
On 3 February 1731, a fire broke out in the magnificent Coudenberg Palace on the hill above Brussels. It was a bitterly cold night, and the city’s water supply had frozen. Locals apparently tried to put out the fire with beer. But the flames quickly spread throughout the enormous building, destroying ancient manuscripts, government archives and paintings by Bruegel. Read more.
