The Romanian government recently introduced a proposal aimed at boosting private sector employees’ work-life balance and increasing productivity by giving employees the option to ask their employers for a four-day workweek. The proposed amendment to the Romanian labor code still needs to be debated in the senate and discussed by the Chamber of Deputies before it is passed. The implementation date of this change will depend on the length of the legislative process.
Key details
Once the proposal passes, employees will be allowed to ask their employers to work four days a week instead of five, without loss of salary, by increasing their working hours on those four days to 10 hours.
Employers are not mandated to accept such requests, and any modification to the working schedule must be expressly stated in the employees’ employment agreements.
The Romanian labor code already allows the employee and the employer to agree on any individualized working schedule to meet the employee’s needs so long as it is agreed upon in writing.
Any modification to the working schedule as agreed upon between the parties must be expressly stated in writing in the employee’s employment agreement.