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The software company AFAS is single-handedly introducing a four-day week for all its employees in Belgium and the Netherlands. Automation through AI and other tools is intended to
The software company AFAS is single-handedly introducing a four-day week for all its employees in Belgium and the Netherlands. Automation through AI and other tools is intended to compensate for the shorter working week.
AFAS (Applications for management solutions) will introduce a four-day week for all employees starting next year. Those who work for the software company will no longer have to work on Fridays. These Fridays will become additional vacation days, while the salary package will otherwise remain unchanged. AFAS will also not receive a public holiday or thirteenth month.
AI must help with the transition. Machien Den Dekker, General Manager of AFAS Belgium, notes that 80 percent of customer questions can now be answered by AI. “We have already taken many steps recently in the area of smart automation, AI and other tools,” he says. “We are convinced that this new regulation will lead to even more creativity and innovation.”
This creates more time for questions that still need people. We sometimes seem to live in a hamster wheel and don’t always get to the things that are really valuable in life. By introducing this development day, we are creating more space for what really counts.” AFAS has a service team available on Fridays to help customers if needed.
AFAS makes the decision in a context where AI and automation can take over many normally unstimulating tasks from humans. Experts often view technology as a way to increase business productivity, without paying much attention to the fact that it can also free up people’s time for other things. Earlier this year, President Barack Obama expressed his views on the impact of AI and also suggested that the definition of full-time work may need to be revised.
AFAS is aware that not every company can simply implement the four-day week, but hopes to start a new movement with a new vision of work. Friday as a working day will change in the Netherlands from January 1, 2025. After a test phase there, Belgian employees will soon also be able to enjoy a long weekend every week. The facility serves as a fascinating test case for the positive impact that technological developments can have on workable work.
Source: IT Daily
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