Four Day Workweek: Lessons from Belgium and Iceland

The idea of ​​a four-day work week has gained a new momentum after Pandemi Covid-19, which accelerates the shift towards far and flexible work settings.
The two initial adoption of this model (Iceland and Belgium) have taken a very different approach.

Iceland: fewer hours, the same salary

In Iceland, the pilot program took place from 2015 to 2019 with around 2,500 employees in various industries.
The trial was proven to be very successful so that in 2022, shorter workers were widely adopted through a joint negotiating agreement rather than law.
The feature that determines the Iceland model is a reduction in weekly hours (down to 36) without losing salary.
At present, almost 90% of Icelandic labor has benefited from this change.
Experts have stated that reforms have caused lower stress, higher job satisfaction, and a better balance of work life.

Belgium: Four days, the same hour

Belgium introduced a four-day work week through law in 2022.
However, unlike Iceland, the Belgian approach does not reduce overall working hours.
Conversely, employees can choose to compress their standard work week to four days longer.
Prime Minister Alexander de Croo explained that the aim was to bring flexibility to the rigid traditional labor market.
Apart from this intention, absorption is very minimal because only about 1% of Belgian workers chose a compressed schedule.

Paradox Week four days: when flexibility is not enough

Apart from the greater interest, a four -day work week is still far from the main stream.
My colleague, and J Grace, Director of IRIS HR Consulting Services, explained:
“After checking the Belgian and Iceland models from the four -day work week explored by Marta, I went with striking awareness: real reforms often needed courage, not compromise.
“Icelandic approach – reduce the clock while maintaining salary – is a brave reimagining of the work itself.
“By achieving this through joint negotiations instead of law, this country proves that cultural consensus can be stronger than the legal mandate.
“The result is? The adoption rate of 90% is extraordinary and measurable profits in the welfare, equality, and balance of work life.
“This is not just a policy changes; That’s a social transformation.
“Conversely, the Belgian model highlights the half -measurement limit.
“Compressing the same number of hours to be fewer days may look like flexibility, but avoid deeper questions: Do we work too much?
“The absorption of 1% gloomy speaks a lot.
“Workers know instinctively that the longer daily hours do not finish fatigue; but rather, they accelerate it.
“The most obvious is how Iceland succeeded without law, while the Belgian law hardly moved the needle.
“This shows that authentic reforms are not about the regulatory framework – this is about cultural readiness and collective will.”
The path in the future requires transformation, not to do it.
In the end, a four-day work week that only crammed five days of fatigue into four instead of his progress dressed as innovation.

About Author: Marta Nocchi, International HR Consultant in Iris

Marta has a strong foundation in employment law, holds a bachelor’s degree and is currently increasing its expertise through the 5 CIPD level qualification.
Fluent of Italian and English, and with a background in HR operations, employee benefits, and payroll, it carries a cultural strategic and cultural perspective for global labor management.
In iris, with our international HR services, we help the business simplify labor management in 135+ countries, ensuring compliance and consistency do not care how the work model is developing.
Whether you explore a four -day work week or adapt to other flexible settings, iris provides tools and expertise to make it possible.