Belgium Approves Four-Day Workweek Option and the Right to Disconnect

Belgium approves a four-day workweek option and gives employees the right to disconnect with the passing of its Labor Deal Act which became effective on November 10, 2022.

To request a four-day workweek, employees must make a written application (request) to their employer. The application is good for six months and is renewable for the same period of time.

Employer obligations include:

• The division of 38 weekly working hours over four workdays and the adaptation of work regulations accordingly.
• If weekly hours exceed 38 hours, with a maximum of 40 hours, this system can only be introduced by a collective labor agreement on a company level.

Employers who refuse the request must communicate the reason for the refusal in writing within one month of the employee’s request.

The Right to Disconnect

All employers with more than 20 employees must arrange practical modalities to guarantee the right to disconnect. Unless the joint labor committee concludes a sectoral collective bargaining agreement on this matter, this must be done by concluding a company collective agreement or by adapting the work regulations.

Employer obligations include:

• Deciding which practical modalities the company will use to provide the employees with a right to disconnect (e.g., switching off servers outside working hours, activating absence messages).
• This can be done either by including these rules in the company’s work regulations or by concluding a collective labor agreement on a company level.

 

Van Dessel, Asinta’s employee benefits consulting Partner in Belgium, provided this article about Belgium employees’ new right to request a four-day workweek and their right to disconnect.