Companies in the Dominican Republic are preparing for a voluntary six-month pilot of a four-day work week, the first move of its kind for the Caribbean country.
The initiative would launch in February, with employees earning the same salary, the Dominican government said, and the standard work week reduced from 44 hours to 36 hours, Monday through to Thursday.
“It prioritizes people, improving health and wellbeing, and promoting a sustainable and environmentally friendly productivity,” said the labour minister Luis Miguel de Camps.
Companies expected to participate included Claro, a Latin American telecommunications company; power company EGE Haina; IMCA, a heavy equipment business; and the government’s national health insurance agency.
A local university is tasked with analysing the results, including any health changes in workers and the relationship between work and their personal lives.
Currently, companies in the Dominican Republic usually allocate eight hours of work every weekday and another four on Saturdays, although they are free to distribute the hours as they see fit, as long as it is not more than 44 hours a week.
Britain in 2023 launched what was considered the world’s largest trial of a four-day work week and found positive results. Some US companies also have switched to a shorter work week, while in Chile, legislators have approved a bill to reduce the work week from 45 to 40 hours.
With Associated Press
