Short week in Italy: in this “public” company you work fewer hours and from home

The Meloni government has not taken a clear position regarding the possibility that in Italy there could be the introduction of the short week, therefore 4 working days out of 7, so as to allow the person to have more free time to dedicate to leisure, rest and family.
There has been an opening from the Prime Minister but no concrete steps have yet been taken in this regard.
However, it should be noted that in recent days the green light has arrived for the short week from an important state-owned company.
This is Sace, the Italian financial insurance group owned by Cassa Depositi e Prestiti and for this reason directly controlled by the Ministry of Economy and Finance which specializes in supporting businesses and the national economic fabric.
Here the agreement was signed to start a trial of a new work organization that winks not only at the short week but also at smart working.
What does the Sace agreement provide for the new organization of work? As explained by Alessandra Ricci, CEO of Sace, the new plan is part of the broader cultural transformation process that was started last year with the "Insieme2025" industrial plan .
A "revolution" possible thanks to the corporate values of "mutual trust, transparency and responsibility".
The objective is clear: to guarantee the well-being of the worker and at the same time strengthen the sense of belonging in the company: "a healthy balance between the personal and professional lives of all colleagues".
But what does the new plan, called “Flex4Future” for the occasion, include? The points to pay attention to are different, such as for example the farewell to the time card to be stamped for each level of classification.
But the most important aspect is that of the short week, 4 working days with a 36-hour week.
The individual worker, among those who participate in the experiment, will choose the day of rest.
However, there is an underlying monthly schedule, which varies for each area level, and it will also be possible to alternate with longer 5-day weeks.
In short, there is a lot of flexibility for the worker who can also evaluate if and when the tasks do not require presence in the office, thus being able to work in smart working.
The focus therefore shifts: we no longer think of the worker as the person who must be available for a certain number of days and for a certain number of hours, but of the one who must achieve certain results.
We need to look at the activities carried out, eliminating downtime in the office that limits productivity.
For now it is only an experimentation As anticipated, for the moment it is only an experimentation phase: it must be said however that out of a total of 950 employees over 50% have expressed their interest in taking part in the experimentation (as confirmed by Gianfranco Chimirri, chief people officer of Sace).
A phase that will be carefully monitored by the Smart Working Observatory of the School of Management of the Polytechnic of Milan which will have the task of evaluating the impact of such a measure.
In this regard, Gianfranco Chimirri already has clear ideas on where this measure should lead, in particular on the advantages for the company which would become more attractive.
Without neglecting the increase in productivity: although there are those who believe that a move to 4 days of work per week should have negative effects on production, the effect should be the opposite given that less stressed employees would be available to give your best during your working days.
All without neglecting the environmental impact, given the reduction in travel.
An aspect that Italy has spoken about in the National Energy and Climate Plan sent to Europe, where emphasis is placed on the initiatives to be implemented to reduce emissions.
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