Working time model at RJ: from experiment to standard

What began as a necessity during the acute phase of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 in the form of a physical separation of the workforce into two halves and a reduction in daily working hours has now become standard at RJ Lasertechnik. The daily working time is reduced to six hours for all employees, but they still receive pay for eight hours. This working time model is economically feasible thanks to higher hourly productivity, which compensates for the time reduction.

In September 2020, the workforce was divided into two work shifts with physical separation over lunchtime to ensure that the company was able to act in the event of a Covid infection among its employees. Two shifts of six hours each were set up without breaks so that the stress levels for each employee could be kept within tolerable limits. Each employee continued to receive pay for eight hours of work. "That seemed acceptable to us for a certain period of time," explains Managing Director Ralf Risters. 

Contrary to the expected economic deficit from this measure, a significant increase in employee efficiency was observed. This positive effect led to the decision in May 2021 to retain the six-hour shifts instead of reverting to the old system. Instead of physical separation, however, there is now a 30-minute overlap between shifts to allow for social contact. 

According to the management, the efficiency gain of working shorter hours and without a break outweighs the cost of regular working hours of eight hours. This finding is also in line with scientific studies. According to a publication by the Hans Böckler Foundation, a reduction in working hours "results in higher productivity because performance and concentration are higher and fewer mistakes are made."