熱門時事分享：周休三日真的可以實現嗎？｜兼顧員工幸福與企業效益的新工作模式｜20251230

歡迎收聽《HOT 用英文聊時事》，我是 CLN 的 Clarence 老師。從今年九月底開始，由於遇上修法新增多出的 3 天國定假日，台灣勞工體驗了約一個月的「週休三日」。自從亨利・福特在 1926 年推行每周工作五天、一共 40 小時的制度以來，周休二日已成為全球職場的常態（參考來源：History）。然而，隨著現代社會的科技進步，以及人們對工作與生活平衡的需求提升，「周休三日」的討論開始浮上檯面。今天，我們就來探討這個在全球引起熱議的工作模式，它是怎麼出現的？已經實際執行了嗎？以及優缺點分別是甚麼呢？

Welcome to “Hot English Topics.” I’m Clarence from CLN. Starting from late September this year, because of an amendment that added three extra national holidays, Taiwanese workers experienced about one month of a three-day weekend. Since Henry Ford introduced the system of a five-day workweek with a total of 40 hours in 1926, the two-day weekend has become the global standard in the workplace. However, with modern technological progress and people’s growing need for better work-life balance, discussions about a three-day weekend have started to gain attention. Today, we will explore this work model that has sparked heated debate worldwide: how did it appear, has it already been put into practice, and what are its advantages and disadvantages?

所謂「周休三日」，通常指將每週工作天數從五天減至四天，根據各企業不同的規定，具體情況可能是降低薪資、降低工時；抑或是薪資維持不變，但每日工時增加等方式進行。主要目的是讓員工多出一天休息日，同時提高員工幸福感與工作效率。

The so-called “three-day weekend” usually refers to reducing the number of working days from five to four per week. Depending on each company’s rules, this may mean a cut in salary, fewer working hours, or keeping the same salary but increasing the daily working hours. The main goal is to give employees one more day of rest, while also improving their happiness and work efficiency. 

疫情後，各國人民開始討論周休三日的工作模式。然而，在荷蘭，周休三日已經悄悄成為進行式。根據歐盟統計局 2024 年數據，荷蘭 20 至 64 歲勞工平均每周工時約 32.1 小時，相當於每周工作四天。相比台灣 41.5 小時，荷蘭低工時的表現引人注目，且 2024 年荷蘭人均 GDP 高居歐盟第四，顯示低工時並未損害國家經濟 (參考來源：CBS)。

After the pandemic, people in many countries began discussing the three-day weekend work model. However, in the Netherlands, the three-day weekend has already quietly become a reality. According to Eurostat data from 2024, Dutch workers aged 20 to 64 work an average of about 32.1 hours per week, which is equal to working four days a week. Compared with Taiwan’s 41.5 hours, the Netherlands’ low working hours is striking, and in 2024, the country’s GDP per capita ranked fourth in the EU, showing that shorter working hours has not harmed the national economy. 

荷蘭能成為低工時領頭羊，主要仰賴彈性勞動與性別角色轉變。許多企業與員工協商彈性工時，讓荷蘭低工時制度既維持生活品質，也不損經濟表現。而 1980 年代起，荷蘭女性廣泛採用兼職重返職場，兼顧家庭與工作，政府則以稅制與育兒福利支持，推動彈性工時在職場的廣泛落實。 (參考來源：EURES、Fortune、TechNews) 

The Netherlands became a leader in low working hours mainly because of flexible labor policies and changes in gender roles. Many companies negotiate flexible working hours with employees, allowing the Dutch low-hour system to maintain quality of life without hurting economic performance. Since the 1980s, Dutch women have widely returned to the workplace through part-time jobs while balancing family and work, and the government has supported this with tax policies and childcare benefits,  promoting the widespread use of flexible working hours in the workplace.

除了荷蘭走在周休三日的前端，英國近期一項周休三日試驗，共 61 家企業、約 3,000 名員工參加，結果顯示七成員工過勞狀況改善、離職率下降 57%。企業營收在此期間平均增加 35%，且 92% 的公司表示會延長計畫，其中 18 家將永久採用(參考來源：4dayweekglobal) 。而紐西蘭金融服務公司 Perpetual Guardian 將 240 名員工工時從五天縮減至四天，薪資維持不變。八周後，生產力提升 20%，員工滿意度上升，工作生活平衡的評分則從 54% 提升至 78%。這些案例顯示，四天工作制在不同國家與行業中，皆帶來了正向效果 (參考來源：The Guardian)。

Besides the Netherlands being ahead in the three-day weekend trend, the UK recently conducted a three-day weekend trial involving 61 companies and about 3,000 employees. The results showed that 70% of employees reported reduced burnout and the turnover rate dropped by 57%. Company revenue increased by an average of 35% during the trial, and 92% of the companies said they would extend the program, with 18 of them adopting it permanently. In New Zealand, the financial services company, Perpetual Guardian, reduced the working hours of 240 employees from five days to four, while keeping salaries the same. After eight weeks, productivity rose by 20%, employee satisfaction increased, and the rating for work-life balance improved from 54% to 78%. These cases show that the four-day workweek has brought positive results across different countries and industries.

台灣的企業也開始探索彈性工時。日月潭雲品溫泉酒店自 2024 年 9 月起試行每週 32 小時、薪資不變的制度，成為國內第一個讓員工周休三天的觀光業者。最初的構想源自人力短缺問題，因此開始施行。雲品透過整合不同單位、重新排班，並新增 10% 的整體人力，提升排班彈性。六個月後的數據成果令人驚喜：離職率下降，履歷投遞數量更暴增 10 倍。針對周休三日的優秀試行成果，集團董事長盛治仁表示：「尤其在講究款待精神的服務業，企業不在意員工，員工怎麼會在意客人？」（參考來源：遠見）

Taiwanese companies have also begun exploring flexible working hours. Since September 2024, Fleur de Chine Hotel at Sun Moon Lake has been testing a system of 32 hours per week with no salary cuts, becoming the first tourism business in Taiwan to offer employees a three-day weekend. The idea originally came from manpower shortages, which pushed the company to launch the trial. By integrating different departments, rearranging shifts, and increasing total staffing by 10%, the hotel improved scheduling flexibility. After six months, the results were surprising: the turnover rate dropped, and the number of job applications increased by ten times. Regarding the strong results of the three-day weekend trial, Group Chairman Sheng said, “Especially in the hospitality industry, which values service, if companies don’t care about their employees, how can employees care about their guests?”

今天，我們探討了周休三日這個引起全球關注的工作模式，發現周休三日並非單純減少工作天數，而是一種兼顧工作效率與生活品質的工作策略。不過，將五天的工作壓縮到四天，可能會增加員工的壓力。對於醫療、零售或餐旅業等每日運作的產業，排班問題與服務品質將成為挑戰。此外，由於企業成本可能提升，周休三日在小型企業的可行性也尚須審慎評估。（參考來源：HR Daily Advisor）

Today, we explored the three-day weekend, a work model that has drawn global attention, and found that it is not simply about reducing workdays but about creating a strategy that balances efficiency and quality of life. However, compressing five days of work into four may increase pressure on employees. For industries that must operate daily, such as healthcare, retail, and hospitality, scheduling and service quality could become challenges. In addition, since business costs may rise, the feasibility of a three-day weekend for small companies still needs careful evaluation. 

整體來看，周休三日有機會為企業與社會帶來雙贏。但要落實此制度，仍需考量產業特性、企業文化與政策配套。更重要的是，它提醒我們重新思考工作與生活的平衡，為未來職場改革提供了一個值得探索的新方向。

Overall, the three-day weekend has the potential to create a win-win situation for both companies and society. But to truly adopt this system, we must consider industry characteristics, company culture, and supportive policies. More importantly, it reminds us to rethink the balance between work and life and offers a new direction for future workplace reform.

本集節目由 CLN 製作播出，若你喜歡這種主題與雙語內容，歡迎追蹤我們、給我們五顆星，並分享給對一週工作四天、周休三日或學英文有興趣的朋友。也告訴我們下次想聽的主題吧！我是 CLN 的 Clarence 老師，我們下次見！

This podcast is produced by CLN. If you enjoy this bilingual episode, please follow, rate us five stars, and share with friends interested in four-day workweek, three-day weekend, or English learning. Tell us what topic you want next. I’m Clarence from CLN. See you again soon!