Four-day work week: the Hungarians have voted, here are the results

According to a representative survey of 2,000 people commissioned by WHC Group and the Oeconomus Economic Research Foundation, if weekly working hours were reduced but pay remained the same, 63% of the population would immediately support the idea. But if 40 hours a week were to be worked over four longer days for the same pay, support would fall to 44 per cent. The survey also showed that men (48%) would be slightly more likely to accept a reduction in working hours than women (41%).

According to WHC Group, the successful introduction of a four-day working week does not require magic, but three things: a gradual introduction, open communication between the parties and flexible working arrangements. Although this change is not universal, with the right preparation and pilot programmes it can bring tangible results in many domestic companies.

In previous years, two major public pilot projects on the subject were carried out at Magyar Telekom and Libri. At the end of the test period, both companies decided to stick to the traditional framework and focus on flexibility of working hours. However, there are good practices, for example in Iceland and the UK, but it seems that the breakthrough of this way of working remains to be seen.