Belgium workers will soon be capable of choosing a four-day week under a series of labor market reforms announced on Tuesday. This reform package agreed by the country’s multi-party coalition government also gives workers the right to ignore work-related messages after work without fear of reprisal.
“We have experienced two difficult years. With this agreement, we set a beacon for an economy that is more innovative, sustainable and digital. The aim is to be able to make people and businesses stronger,” Belgian prime minister Alexander de Croo said in a press conference.
Workers will also receive stronger legal protections under the new rules, while full-time employees will be allowed to work flexible schedules on demand. However, putting the reforms into law may take months as the draft legislation must pass multiple readings by federal lawmakers prior to being enacted.
A huge part of Belgium’s new reforms impact the work-life balance of employees.
“This has to be done at the request of the employee, with the employer giving solid reasons for any refusal,” Belgian labor minister Pierre-Yves Dermagne told the press conference.
Employees will be able to ask to work four days a week for a period of six months. After that, they can choose to continue the arrangement or return to a five-day week with no negative consequences.
“The period of six months was chosen so that an employee would not be stuck for too long in case of a wrong choice,” they said.
With this new system, employees would be capable to condense the current five-day week to four days. This means maintaining a 38-hour working week, with an additional day off compensating for longer work days.
Workers will also be allowed to request variable work schedules. The minimum notice period for shifts is changing, with companies now required to provide schedules at least seven days in advance.
“This would benefit those who wish to spend more time with their children,” Dermagne said in a statement.
Beginning in January, civil servants working for Belgium’s federal government were given the right to disconnect, allowing them to disconnect their work devices and ignore messages after hours without reprisals from bosses. Now all Belgian workers, even those in private sectors, will receive the same right, announced Dermagne on Tuesday.
“The boundary between work and private life is becoming increasingly porous. These incessant demands can harm the physical and mental health of the worker,” he said.
The new law will apply to all employers with over 20 staff. Employers will be expected to negotiate with trade unions to include the right to disconnect in collective agreements.
The reform package also aims at the gig economy, with workers for platforms like Uber, Deliveroo and Just Eat Takeaway receiving insurance against work-related injuries and clearer rules defining who is – and is not – self-employed.
In Belgium, platform workers reaching three out of eight possible criteria – including those whose work performance is monitored, who are unable to refuse jobs, or whose pay is determined by the company – will now be considered employees with rights to sick leave and paid time off.
These rules don’t stop anyone from working as a freelancer or contractor, social affairs minister Frank Vandenbroucke said.
“If someone wants to work as a self-employed person, they can do so and will have more autonomy,” Vandenbroucke said.
Way to go, Belgium! Maybe the rest of the world will follow in their footsteps.
