France To Test Four-Day Workweek, Exclusively For Divorced Parents Sharing Custody

France is set to trial a four-day workweek exclusively for divorced parents who share joint custody of their children, marking a unique step towards introducing reduced workweek policies in the country. 

The initiative, led by Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, is slated to launch in September for a select group of civil servants, according to a report published by Fortune. Participants in the pilot program will work extended hours across four days to maintain the standard 35-hour workweek. 

A report published by The Times of London explores the reasoning behind focusing on divorced parents, explaining in part that the program is designed to help divorced parents balance their work commitments with family time, in theory better accommodating the schedules of those who have custody of their children on specific weeks. The article also notes that primary and most middle schools in France do not have classes on Wednesday afternoons.  

The move aligns with a growing trend in France towards reduced working days, with around 10,000 workers are already working a four-day workweek. Some companies that have implemented this model have cited benefits such as increased productivity and lower staff turnover. 

The outcome of this pilot program could influence whether the four-day workweek is rolled out more broadly across the French workforce. Prime Minister Attal has previously introduced the program while he was budget minister at the finance ministry two years ago and has expressed interest in expanding the system to apply to the entire French workforce. 

France’s experimentation with the four-day workweek for divorced parents sets a precedent for similar four-day pilot programs elsewhere, as countries worldwide grapple with greater demands for improved work-life balance in the future.