Türkiye may struggle to implement four-day workweek, experts say

Fulya Soybaş – ANKARA

Adopting a four-day workweek in Türkiye could face significant challenges due to the country’s long-hour work culture and potential resistance from employers, according to the experts.

Calls for shorter working hours and better work-life balance are gaining traction worldwide, but Türkiye remains one of the countries with the longest working weeks among the members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Eurostat data published in May also shows Türkiye has the longest average weekly hours in Europe at 43.1.

The idea of a “four days on, three days off” model, equal to 32 weekly hours, has already been tested in several countries.

A new study published in the journal Nature suggests the model improves physical and mental health while boosting company productivity and profitability.

Still, experts say such a system may not easily fit into Türkiye’s labor culture.

“In countries like Japan, China, India, the U.S., the U.K. and Türkiye, long working hours are embedded in the culture,” said academic and economist Filiz Eryılmaz.

“In China, the 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week system is known as ‘996.’ Türkiye has a similar culture, so both employees and employers would need to change their mindset first,” she added.

Eryılmaz noted that while the legal limit is 45 hours, unregistered work often exceeds that.

Thus, even if laws were passed, many employers would resist such a change, according to the expert.

Younger generations, however, appear to be pushing for flexibility, with work-life balance becoming more important than salary for many young workers.

Earlier this year, Labor and Social Security Minister Vedat Işıkhan announced plans to expand flexible work models.

But experts underline that this does not imply a reduction in total weekly hours.

“Flexible work means shorter-term contracts, part-time or certain days only. Daily hours may even be extended while total weekly hours remain the same,” said Emin Yılmaz, head of a social security consultants’ association.

Specialists also point to possible drawbacks of a four-day work week, including potential pay adjustments.