One of the largest Swiss gastronomy companies has announced that workers will now be able to enjoy a three-day weekend at all times, rather than just for national holidays. Employees at Remimag will not have their working hours changed, but will simply work more hours over four days each week.
The company says that one of the key reasons for their decision is to attract more workers from younger age groups, since studies have found that “millennials” attach more importance to free time than older generations. According to the co-director of Remimag, Bastian Eltschinger, the company “had difficulty recruiting staff, like the whole gastronomy sector,” and believed that the four-day week would make the company a much more attractive place to work.
Other companies have faced similar challenges, especially after many staff lost their jobs during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Several firms that have already tried the new working pattern have found success in the model. “With this new regime, applications have increased by 30 percent,” notes Lukas Meier, a hotelier from Zurich.
Remimag owns more than 30 hotels and restaurants across Switzerland, and is therefore no small voice in the hospitality industry. The company will soon open the Röschtigrabe restaurant opposite the Federal Palace in Bern, for which the company estimates they will have to advertise 60 to 80 new jobs.
While 40 people have already been recruited, the company hopes that the new working routine will encourage more people to apply. Co-director Eltschinger has also been careful to stress that the new mechanism is not automatic, confirming that “those who want to continue working for five days will obviously be able to do so."