Some companies in Germany have already introduced a four-day week. At the Porsche subsidiary MHP, a manager would like to test the 3-day week for himself.
Katharina Vollus manages 25 employees at MHP as Associated Partner. The 42-year-old works part-time. With her future 3-day week, she wants to give more leadership to the team.
Vollus is in talks with its 25 employees about what such a 3-day week would look like. In Germany, the concept is rarely represented.
Four days work with full salary – more and more companies are introducing this concept. At MHP Management and IT Consulting, a subsidiary of Porsche, a manager is now going one step further. Katharina Vollus wants to test a 3-day week for herself, reported about the “Portal for the Chief Information Officer” (CIO).
Vollus is Associated Partner at MHP and works part-time. In this way, she wants to enable herself and her team to achieve a better work-life balance. Vollus has been leading a growing team of currently 25 employees for four years and advises customers on how to work more agile and develop organizations further.
That’s why Katharina Vollus opted for the three-day week at MHP
Last year Vollus and her team for the agility project at the Berlin traffic drives (BVG) received the Best of Consulting Award from Wirtschaftswoche.
With the 3-day week, Vollus is breaking new ground. She decided on this model because only then would real added value be noticeable: “In my opinion, not much changes with a four-day week. Basically, you do the same tasks as before, only for less money,” says the manager. “So it was clear to everyone that I would have to hand over significant parts of my tasks as a manager. You wouldn’t do that with an 80 percent job.”
read too
The new working time model is to be gradually adjusted
The new working time model started at the beginning of the year, but is to be adjusted in stages. The work processes still have to be brought into play before it is actually only three working days. It must be clarified, for example, who takes over which management tasks from the team. However, Vollus is confident of being able to achieve this goal in the first quarter.
Team members can now even take on some of Vollus’ responsibilities and roles and network with other colleagues and leaders within the consultancy. In this way, every employee can contribute their strengths – so there is not one person who completely represents the boss.
read too
The three-day week is still very rare in Germany. It is important that the employer stands behind the concept. But the team must also see the benefits and be willing to take on new tasks and roles and perform better. According to Vollus, however, these are not insurmountable obstacles. The employer even benefits from this because he has to pay less salary due to the reduction in work.
Vollus and her team prepared for the experiment last year by holding talks and making less important appointments. The leader recommends all consultants, “First of all, don’t step back so early in your career, but go down the path as quickly as possible. Then the degrees of freedom and creative freedom increase.” Companies should also support their employees in being able to reduce their workload.
An alternative to Vollus’ model is the four-day week, where employees get the same pay for less time.
jpo