Leusden-based software company Afas has become the first major Dutch firm to switch to a four-day workweek while continuing to pay staff for five days, crediting artificial intelligence for making this move possible.
Afas, which serves clients including construction firm Dura Vermeer and maritime services group Van Oord among its 13,000 customers, will remain closed on Fridays but will still provide customer support.
“We are in a sort of rat race to boost productivity,” chief executive Bas van der Veldt told the Financieele Dagblad. “But any increase in profits usually goes to the owners and shareholders of a company, not the workers.” Introducing a four-day week can change that dynamic, he explained.
Sales per employee at Afas have increased from €30,000 to €450,000 over the 30 years since the firm’s founding, Van der Veldt noted. With a workforce of 700, the company reported a net profit of nearly €109 million last year.
Van der Veldt expects productivity to continue rising to around €800,000 per employee with the integration of AI. “It is odd to think you can work less and yet become much more productive,” he said.
The transition, effective January next year, is also anticipated to positively impact worker morale and enhance the company’s attractiveness as a desirable workplace, according to the chief executive.
