Working time models of the future

Imagine being able to organize your working hours freely, to fit your life. You could sleep in in the morning if you're a night owl, or work longer in the evening if you have to look after your children during the day. You could work less in the summer and enjoy the sun, and work a few extra shifts in the winter. And you could take a sabbatical from time to time to further your education or to fulfill a long-held dream. Does it sound utopian? But it could soon become a reality for many people.

That's because working time models are in a state of upheaval. More and more companies and employees are discovering the advantages of flexible, individual working hours beyond the traditional 40-hour week. Globalization, digitalization and the shift in values towards more self-determination are important drivers here. At the same time, demographic changes, the shortage of skilled workers and the need to reconcile work and private life are presenting companies with new challenges. Solutions are needed that meet both the needs of the workforce and the requirements of employers.

But which models have the potential to shape the working world of tomorrow? And what is needed to make them work in practice? Let's take a look into the crystal ball together and set the course for future-proof working hours today.

Megatrends and their impact on our working hours

To understand where the journey is headed, we must first take a close look at the major changes in society and the economy. After all, it is they that are shaping our working world in the long term and placing new demands on the organization of working time.

1. Globalization and digitization Whether we like it or not, we have long since been living and working in a globalized, digitized world. For more and more employees, this means working across time zones and national borders, often in virtual teams. Projects with colleagues in the US or customers in Asia require flexibility and the willingness to communicate outside of normal office hours.

At the same time, mobile technologies and cloud-based work are making us independent of fixed work locations and hours. With a laptop and smartphone, we are ready for action anytime, anywhere – a blessing for flexibility, but also a challenge for the demarcation between work and private life. Clear rules and a new culture of accessibility are needed here to avoid self-exploitation and constant stress.

2. Demographic change and the shortage of skilled workers We are becoming fewer, older and more diverse. Demographic change presents companies with the challenge of remaining competitive with shrinking and aging workforces. At the same time, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find and retain qualified specialists.

To be attractive to all generations, employers need to rethink and offer more individualized solutions. Whether it's an engineer who wants to go into semi-retirement at 60+ or an IT expert who is taking care of her children alongside her job, tailored working time models can be a decisive competitive factor here. Enabling employees to better balance their work and personal lives gives them a better hand in the “war for talent”.

3. Changing values and new work Speaking of younger generations: the world of work is becoming more colorful and diverse, and with it the demands of employees. In particular, the so-called millennials and Generation Z value self-fulfillment, meaningfulness and flexibility in their jobs. Rigid structures and compulsory attendance are a no-go for them; instead, they want a trusting work culture with a lot of personal responsibility.

Under the buzzword “New Work”, more and more companies are setting out to put this new mindset into practice. Moving away from control and towards trust. Moving away from attendance and towards a focus on results. And also: moving away from rigid 9-to-5 thinking and towards individual working time models that are tailored to each person's life stage. So it's high time we took a closer look at a few forward-looking approaches.

Innovative working time models under the microscope

The good news is that creative, courageous and sometimes even revolutionary concepts for the working hours of tomorrow already exist. Let's take a look at some of the most exciting approaches – from small and simple to large and visionary.

1. Life-phase-oriented working hours The rhythm of life of a 25-year-old single person is different from that of a 45-year-old mother or a 60-year-old carer. So why not adapt working hours flexibly to individual needs? This is precisely the idea behind life-phase-oriented models.

Imagine being able to adjust your weekly hours to suit your situation: reduce them during parental leave and increase them again when the children are older. Or cut back a few hours during busy periods and work more during quieter times. Sounds tempting, doesn't it? This form of flexibility is already being practiced by an increasing number of companies.

For example, the Hamburg-based agency Oberüber Karger offers its employees customized “working life accounts”. In consultation with their team, they can add or subtract hours as their personal needs require. In the long term, this should help them achieve a healthy balance between their professional and private lives – a classic win-win situation!

2. Project-related working hours In an increasingly agile, fast-paced world of work, rigid time constraints are often counterproductive. Instead, the trend is towards task- and project-oriented time planning that flexibly adapts to the respective requirements.

This can mean, for example, that a team completely organizes its own working hours for the duration of a project – sometimes more, sometimes less, depending on the workload. Or that employees organize their weekly working hours variably, as long as the total workload is covered. The main thing is that the result is right and that the agreements within the team work.

The Dutch IT company Incentro, for example, is pursuing an exciting approach. Instead of fixed working hours, Incentro only has project-based budgets. The teams organize themselves independently and decide for themselves how to use their time most effectively. Of course, a culture of trust and open communication is a prerequisite for this.

3. Agile working time models “Agile” is on everyone's lips – so why not also when it comes to organizing working hours? More and more companies are using agile methods such as Scrum or Kanban not only for their projects but also for planning and managing working hours.

With Scrum, for example, the team organizes itself in short time periods, known as sprints. At the beginning of each sprint, the team decides together which tasks are to be completed and how much time is planned for them. Within this framework, everyone can then organize their working hours flexibly as long as the agreed goals are achieved. At the end of each sprint, there is a review and a retrospective to reflect on progress and initiate improvements for the next cycle.

4. Trust-based working hours and a focus on results Working hours do not equal productivity – we have known this at least since the advent of mobile technologies and flexible forms of work. So it is high time that we moved away from a pure attendance culture and instead focused on the results.

Trust-based working hours is the magic phrase that is finding its way into more and more companies. The basic idea is that employees can organize their own working hours as long as the agreed results are achieved. When, where and for how long they work is up to them, as long as the performance is good and coordination with colleagues and customers works.

Deutsche Bahn is one of the pioneers of this cultural change. As early as 2016, the company introduced trust-based working hours across the board – not only for traditional office jobs, but also for areas such as train service or maintenance. The responsibility lies consistently with the teams themselves, while managers act as supporters and sources of inspiration. A basis of trust and open communication is of course essential for this.

5. Job sharing and top sharing What has long been possible in parental leave or partial retirement has the potential to shape the working world of tomorrow: the division of a job among several people. In job sharing, two or more employees share the tasks, responsibilities and working hours of a position.

This could mean, for example, that two colleagues share a management position and work part-time. Or that a team of experts flexibly divides project responsibility according to their skills and capacities. The model also has many advantages for companies: whether it's better capacity utilization through flexible substitution arrangements, broader coverage of skills or higher employee retention.

Top sharing, in which managers also share a position, goes one step further. For example, an experienced manager and a younger colleague can head a department as a tandem, ideally complementing each other's skills. Or two managers with complementary strengths can jointly take on a strategically important role in the company. Initial studies show that shared leadership can improve the quality of decisions, reduce conflicts and promote innovation. So it's high time we broke new ground in the boardroom too!

6. Sabbaticals and creative time-outs In a working world that is turning ever faster, breaks and time-outs are essential for health, satisfaction and innovative strength. So why not plan a longer time-out from your job to recharge your batteries, further your education or realize a long-held dream?

More and more companies are offering their employees this opportunity in the form of paid or unpaid sabbaticals. This could be three months for further training, six months for a trip around the world or a whole year to care for a relative. In most cases, time credits are saved or the salary waiver is stretched over a longer period of time.

For example, the Hamburg-based agency Syzygy offers its employees the opportunity to take a paid “creative break” of up to three months every three years. The idea behind it: creativity needs breaks and new impulses away from the daily work routine. At the same time, the offer binds talent to the company in the long term - a win-win situation for everyone involved!

7. 4-day week and reduced hours In times of increasing productivity and digitalization, the question arises more and more often: Do we really still need the classic 40-hour week? Or can we achieve the same performance in less time and create more space for family, leisure and further education?

One model that is causing a stir here is the four-day week with full pay. The idea is that employees work only four days instead of five without having to sacrifice salary.