Comment: more work – is it still possible, Mr. Merz?
In his first declaration of government, Chancellor has Friedrich Merz two new problem issues identified: The work-life balance and the four-day week. Since then, the country has been discussing whether the Germans have become lazy. Many agree with Merz: The work ethos fell by the wayside. Merz approach is not only one -sided, but also dangerous. Because two crucial things are neglected in the debate.
The first: Merz fuels the generation conflict. He implies, especially the younger ones don’t want to tackle. Because the young people call for work models such as the four-day week and, by having a compensation between life and work, have shaped the term work-life balance. The almost 70-year-old Chancellor uses his first speech to the Bundestag to chop on the boy.
Debate about lazy Germans: Baby boomers could also work longer
It was just as easy to ask: What about Merz ‘peers, the baby boomers? The fact that she retired leaves a huge gap in skilled workers and competence, which cannot be filled with younger ones. This also hurt the added value. And on average, the baby boomers go to rest two years before they reach the actual retirement age. By the way, high earners and academics use this option. Although life expectancy has increased significantly and – fortunately – people grow longer, healthier, older. Who grabs the older ones with their honor, appeals to their national responsibility and calls: « With early shelf we will not be able to maintain the prosperity in our country! » Merz rejects a discussion about a pension with 70.
Apart from the fact that a playing of the generations uses little and creates fronts, Merz overlooks one point: the promise of promotion no longer applies. For many young people, their parents’ prosperity – a home with a garden – is unfulfilled. So why should you fill your time with more work instead of the things that make life more beautiful: leisure, family, friends? Especially since the overtime is not financially worthwhile in many cases because the cold progression is eating everything up.
The second point that is overlooked in the debate: to speak of overtime as a wealth. Let’s start with the privileged part: The number of people with two jobs has doubled since the 1990s. Many would not make ends meet. Should you look for a third job?
And the male part of the worldview? In the discussion about the supposed laziness of Germans, statistics from the Institute for Labor and Vocational Research are often cited. It shows that more people work in the country than ever, but the number of weekly working hours per employee has dropped. This is because many women have entered the labor market. And they often work part -time. Then it is said that there is an unused potential. Oh really?
Debate for working hours: Society needs people who have time
Many part -time employees state that they want to increase their hours. But mostly not for full -time. This would only be possible if men work shorter. Who else should take care of the new grandma’s new care level, the homework of children, the cake for kindergarten festival and the dirty laundry? Most of the time, women do this in the « Life » part of their work-life balance. It doesn’t sound like foul anymore. For this purpose, society, the children, volunteering, rely on people to have time available. Can take care of.
Merz also demands that everyone should work more effectively again. That makes sense. And now something really surprising: there are studies on what effectiveness is growing: the four-day week. Investigations in different countries have shown that companies that introduced them usually made just as much or even more sales as before.
