Executive Viewpoint: What Can Leaders Learn from Greece’s Six-Day Workweek?

The concept of a four-day workweek has plenty of fans, and some say that AI will make it inevitable. Don’t tell that to Greece, however, which recently became the first country in the European Union to institute a six-day workweek for some industries, or to Samsung Electronics executives, who have started working an extra day each week. 

The traditional workweek hasn’t shifted from a Monday-to-Friday, 9-to-5, 40-hour model since Henry Ford coined it back in 1926. So, why are countries and companies now testing modifications?  

Some advocates for a four-day workweek say working fewer hours would have broad benefits, including higher employee engagement, less stress, and lower turnover. While the idea continues to generate discussion online, relatively few organizations are trying it out. According to SHRM’s 2024 Employee Benefits Survey, just 8% of U.S. organizations currently have a standard four-day workweek.  

Longer workweeks are rarer, and recent examples were adopted for very specific reasons. In Greece, the change was created to address talent shortages in certain industries, make sure workers receive overtime pay, and curb tax evasion on unreported work. The country has struggled with talent shortages since the 2009 financial crisis, and Greek workers already put in the longest workweeks of those in any EU country.  

Samsung’s shift was narrower, as it only affected executives and was intended to motivate them to address falling profits. News reports say some Samsung executives were voluntarily working six days a week before it was required, so the change also ensured the sacrifice was equally experienced across the executive ranks. Since Samsung’s announcement, fellow South Korean companies SK Group and HD Hyundai Oilbank have also instituted longer workweeks for executives under similar circumstances.

What do business leaders make of these trends? What impact would a six-day workweek have on workers and companies? Are other organizations likely to follow suit soon? Below are insights from SHRM’s CHRO and CEO on what business leaders should take away from Greece’s shift to a six-day workweek.  

SHRM CHRO Jim Link: Take a Transformative Approach 

SHRM CHRO Jim Link

I was surprised when I heard about Greece moving to a six-day workweek because it runs counter to the current trend of experimenting with shorter weeks. I suspect Greece’s law will end up being an anomaly in the long run. When I talk with other CHROs, talent continues to be one of their biggest concerns, but I haven’t heard from a single one who’s eager to solve it with a longer workweek. 

Greece is addressing its talent needs in a particular way, but organizations in every country will have to find their own answers to similar challenges. For example, immigration has tremendous potential to increase the supply of talent at a time when U.S. domestic participation in the labor force is shrinking.  

Other organizations are looking to increase productivity by adopting more efficient processes instead of working longer hours. Employers can help employees acquire new skills to improve efficiency or introduce new tools such as AI, which can transform the way employees work. The question will be whether businesses can drive enough productivity from external sources like technology to dent the demand for labor.  

Whatever an organization does to address those talent concerns will require a transformative approach:

1. You must have a world-class change management approach to roll out procedures effectively.
2. Your solution must be tied to your mission, values, and purpose so you can clearly articulate the reason for the change.
3. You must articulate the value of the change for both the organization and the individual to create buy-in. 

Watching how Greek organizations adapt to this new law will be interesting. Different companies may take different approaches. There may be gaps between what the rules say should happen and what people do in practice. There may also be downstream implications from this change no one has foreseen. No matter what happens, there will be a lot CHROs can learn from watching how Greece handles this shift in their labor practices.

SHRM President and CEO Johnny C. Taylor, Jr.: Testing and Learning Will Be Key

SHRM President and CEO Johnny C. Taylor, Jr.

When I was growing up in Florida, stores closed on Sundays. No one thought this was unusual then, but these days, only Chick-fil-A can get away with it. Today’s customers expect service wherever and whenever, and if you can’t give it to them, someone else will.

But I was torn when I heard about the new Greek law. As a CEO, I want to see businesses grow, but I also know people aren’t machines. We were built for rest as well as work. Whenever there’s a major shift in workplace trends, we need to ask, “Is this sustainable?

Talent shortages are CEOs’ No. 1 concern now, but they’re not looking at a longer workweek as a solution to their talent problems. I was in a meeting with 35 other CEOs right after this news came out, and the story never came up. Instead, they’re talking about other ways to improve the pipeline of skilled, culturally aligned labor, such as increasing legal immigration or improving K-12 education.  

What’s encouraging about what’s happening in Greece or at Samsung is it shows organizations are still willing to experiment in search of greater productivity. Too often, we can fall prey to the tyranny of habit in our organizations. The world is changing so quickly right now; it takes a determined leader to take on more disruption. We just need to make sure we’re conducting those experiments in the right way. 

When you read about organizations testing changes to their schedule or their work environment, those trials usually last only a few months. This isn’t enough time to evaluate such enormous changes because different impacts are felt at different rates. Employee feedback may be swift, while changes to the bottom line may take time to materialize. Responding to early indicators can lead organizations to declare success or failure in these tests too soon.  

Worse, sometimes organizations become vocal advocates or opponents of a strategy based on those limited experiences. Those claims can influence leaders at other organizations and convince them to embrace or discard strategies prematurely. Maybe this approach worked for one company in one situation over a limited period. There’s no guarantee it will work elsewhere or will perform well in the long run. 

We will need rigorous longitudinal studies to understand the full impact of a shorter or longer workweek. Even then, what works for one country or company may not work elsewhere. There are many variables, such as culture and change management procedures, which can determine if a change is a cultural fit for an organization. Increasing work hours won’t automatically lead to greater productivity, and shorter hours won’t improve engagement without cultural alignment. There will be lessons organizations can learn from observing pilots of both shorter and longer workweeks, but there will not be a blanket answer suitable for everyone.