BMW car dealership Weller is introducing a four-day week as a pilot project!

BMW car dealership Weller is introducing a four-day week as a pilot project!

The Bad Homburg BMW and mini car dealership Weller is making a big change in the way it works: from January 1, 2024, there will be one here Four day week introduced. However, with 40 hours per week, everything remains the same. The highlight? Service employees have fixed, rolling days off, which allows for more flexible organization of working hours and operating hours.

The decision-making body behind this innovative step is none other than Burkhard Weller, the managing partner. He noticed that empty parking spaces often had a negative impact on the atmosphere in the company, especially on Saturdays. The idea: Weller would like to liven up the workshop more on these days, especially in the future when many customers come in during the tire changing season. This new strategy is not just an experiment, but rather thoughtful planning with the aim of strengthening customer loyalty.

Prejudice against change

The introduction of the four-day week is on a voluntary basis, which offers employees more flexibility. Interestingly, the discussion about this model was initiated by Diego Délano Campos, who has taken over the branch management since summer 2023. According to Weller, the focus here is not on the well-known shortage of skilled workers, but rather on the service concept - as can also be heard in a current discussion about the four-day week. Several companies, employees, politicians and the media are dealing with the concept, which has now become somewhat fashionable.

Historically, the debate over reduced working hours is over 100 years old, starting with attempts to regulate long working days in the 19th century. For example, the 8-hour day was established in the Weimar Republic in 1918. Especially in today's world, which is characterized by challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, one senses the need for flexible working time models.

How does the workforce think?

The four-day week model offers various approaches: from maintaining weekly working hours on four days to reducing it to four working days with full wage compensation - also referred to as the “100-80-100” principle. A BAuA survey from 2022 shows that many employees favor a reduction in working hours, especially with full wage compensation. Almost 80% are in favor of a four-day week, while 73% only want this with full salary compensation, according to a recent study by the Hans Böckler Foundation.

• Gründe für die Unterstützung:
• Mehr Zeit für sich selbst (97%)
• Familie (89%)
• Freizeit (87%)
• Reduzierung der Arbeitsbelastung (75%)
• Abneigungen hängen oft mit dem Spaß an der Arbeit (86%) und den angeblich gleichbleibenden Abläufen (82%) zusammen.

Similar test runs, for example in Great Britain and Iceland, where models such as the 35-hour week were used, showed positive effects on health and productivity. However, such approaches have also shown that not every industry is suitable for a 4-day week and that companies have to make appropriate changes.

The Weller car dealership in Bad Homburg will be part of this exciting development next year. It remains to be seen how this new regulation will affect employee and customer satisfaction and whether other companies in Germany will follow suit. The pilot project will certainly be followed with great interest and could potentially show what the future of the world of work may look like. Maybe it's the beginning of a new era of work in Germany - and not just at the Weller car dealership.