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On Tuesday, the Belgian government agreed to a new labour agreement that will provide the country’s typically tight labour market more freedom.

The pandemic, according to Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, has forced individuals to work more flexibly and integrate their personal and professional life. “New modes of working have resulted as a result of this.”

Employees who choose the new work schedule will be able to work up to 10 hours per day instead of the existing 8 hours if trade unions agree, allowing them to work one day less per week for the same salary.

Belgians will also be able to choose to work more one week and less the next, allowing people to better balance their job and personal lives, such as when co-parenting or allowing for permanent long weekends.

For organisations with more than 20 employees, the agreement also includes the ability to disconnect outside normal working hours.

However, any such request must be approved by the manager, which implies that in practise, such flexibility would only be available to individuals working in large organisations with more evenly dispersed workloads.

Belgium’s labor reform comes after Iceland’s four-day work week experiment, which ran from 2015 to 2019, was declared a success. Currently, 86 percent of the country’s workforce works a four-day work week. Spain, Scotland, and Japan have all stated that they intend to experiment with four-day work weeks.

Belgium’s government agreed to a new labor agreement earlier this week, allowing its employees to work four days a week in an effort to introduce flexibility to the country’s tight labor market.

With this change, Belgium has joined an ever-growing list of countries that now provide a four-day workweek.

Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said the development is part of a massive COVID-era shake-up of labour regulations after his seven-party coalition federal cabinet achieved an agreement overnight.

The most major shift is the freedom to turn off work gadgets and reject business-related messages and calls after hours without fear of retaliation. According to reports, the initiatives aim to improve Belgian citizens’ quality of life by providing a better work-life balance.

The most major shift is the freedom to turn off work gadgets and reject business-related messages and calls after hours without fear of retaliation. According to reports, the initiatives aim to improve Belgian citizens’ quality of life by providing a better work-life balance.

Implementation Of Changes -

The adjustments will not be enacted immediately, according to the federal government document. Unions will have a say on a draught bill before any amendments are made, and the legislation will be scrutinised by the Council of State before the parliament votes.

Other Countries-

In December 2021, UAE officially became the first country to transition to a four-day workweek. Scotland launched a trial four-day workweek in September last year. Iceland, Japan and Spain also announced plans to try four-day working weeks in 2021.