29.4 hours. According to Statistik Austria, that’s the average weekly working time for a person in Austria.
For many in business, this is a warning signal.
For us, it’s a turning point.
What is often labeled in the media as a “wellness mentality” is actually the clearest expression of a fundamental shift—a transformation that challenges our traditional notions of work, performance, and responsibility.
The Dangerous Illusion: More Hours = More Output
Thinking in hours is a relic of the industrial era, when presence was everything.
Today, in a world of digital, hybrid, and knowledge-based work, what counts is output, not presence.
At TimeSpin, we see this every day:
Productivity does not emerge from endless meetings but from focused, goal-oriented phases. Modern time tracking makes visible what is actually being done, not just when.
This is the difference between busywork and impact.
Part-Time Is Not Retreat—It’s Responsibility
Increasingly, especially women aged 35–39, work part-time. Not because they want to contribute less, but because they take on more responsibility: for family, children, or care duties.
Dismissing this as “non-work” is not only ignorant but also economically short-sighted. Care work is infrastructure—it sustains society and the economy alike. Undervaluing it is like sawing off the foundation on which growth stands.
A Changing Work World—What Companies Can Learn
Industry data shows there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
- Only 11% of construction workers work part-time.
- Over 55% of employees in social and healthcare sectors are part-time.
Both realities are valid, and each demands different strategies. A blanket call for “more hours” ignores this diversity and misses the point: sustainable productivity comes from structure and transparency, not pressure.
Why Flexibility Becomes a Competitive Advantage
Companies that allow flexible working models today will attract the best talent tomorrow.
Not because they are “soft,” but because they understand that certain work is fueled more by empowerment than by control.
Our clients use TimeSpin to make this measurable:
- Which teams work when, on what, and with what results?
- Where does friction occur, where is focus strongest?
Understanding time is understanding productivity.
Conclusion: No Fear of the 29.4-Hour Week—We Need a New Understanding of Work
The decline in weekly working hours is not a sign of decay.
It is proof that people and organizations are adapting to a new reality—a reality in which performance looks different but is no less valuable.
The future belongs to companies that have the courage to not just track time, but to rethink it.
Top comments (0)