The Evolution of the Swiss Standard

The adoption of the five-day week in Switzerland was a slow process that is now popular among the population but no longer untouchable. The traditional five-day week is increasingly being questioned, with some companies in Switzerland opting for a four-day week with the same salary to motivate their staff.

In contrast, Greece has recently allowed workers to choose to work six days a week instead of five to counteract a shortage of skilled workers. While no legal adjustment was necessary for the return of general Saturday work in Switzerland, there is nothing in the law that prohibits working on the sixth day of the week.

Swiss labor law defines the workload in hours per week, with only Sunday work requiring a permit. The employers’ association has noted that many Swiss people prefer to have Saturdays off and value the two-day weekend. However, the acceptance of the five-day week in Switzerland was a slow process that originated in the American industrial sector in the early 20th century.

Henry Ford, an important pioneer of the five-day week, made Saturday a day off for his factory workers in 1926, emphasizing that less working time could boost the economy by providing more leisure time for additional consumer spending. The change to the five-day week in Switzerland took decades, with the turning point occurring in the late 1950s when trade unions and employers’ associations agreed to collective agreements.

Since then, the five-day week has become widely accepted in Switzerland, leading to more flexible working time models and an increase in part-time work in the 21st century. While the five-day week was a significant innovation in the 20th century, the 21st century offers more flexibility in work schedules both upwards and downwards.