AI and Work Reimagined: Lessons from AFAS Software’s Four-Day Week

Balancing Productivity Gains with Human-Centric Workplace Design ??

AFAS Software , a Dutch company with around 700 employees, recently announced its transition to a four-day workweek as of January 2025. This initiative has garnered both praise and criticism. The conflicting views demonstrate that we are far from understanding how to shape the future of work in a way that serves the economy, labor market, organizations, employees, society, and other stakeholders in a new world of work.

In this article, I am looking at the introduction of the 4 day workweek in relation to AI integration at AFAS as a business case. Based on this, we will explore how companies can intentionally create an attractive Employee Value Proposition while integrating AI in their workplaces.

The criticism that followed AFAS introduction demonstrates complexities of having to deal with polarised views about what AI will mean for the way we shape work and the place it has in our lives. This article is not about the 4-day workweek, but about how we can align our leadership teams towards building a culture where employees thrive and contribute to society in a way that serves everyone.

The business case: The Four Day WorkWeek at AFAS Fueled by AI.

Over the years, AFAS has consistently experimentend with innovative workplace strategies, fostering a culture that is a blend of trust, innovation, and a strong focus on employee well-being. A culture, that without doubt has contributed to it’s impressive profitability. The company's founder and CEO, Bas van der Veldt, explained that the move to a four-day workweek is designed to improve employee well-being and productivity, aligning with their philosophy of fostering a better work-life balance and enhancing the Employee Value Proposition (EVP).

Van der Veldt emphasized that the company has seen a 650% increase in productivity over the past 25 years and believes that a shorter workweek will further boost efficiency by allowing employees to recharge and focus better during their working days. The company's approach also involves leveraging AI and automation to streamline administrative tasks, ensuring that employees can maximize their productivity within the reduced work hours. This strategy reflects AFAS's broader objective of integrating advanced technologies to support their workforce and maintain competitive advantage.

EVP in the era of AI

AFAS, with it’s long history of building a human-centric culture, shows an understanding of AI’s potential to enhance efficiency, innovation and creativity. But implementing AI is not enough. To truly leverage this power of AI, we simultaneously need to build a new vision around work, rigorous and innovative - and act on it by implementing new workplace designs.

Companies for which innovation and creativity, and competitive advantage are critical success factors can not hold on to outdated structures and mindsets.

Boosting productivity - and who should benefit

Zooming out of the direct benefits for organisations, I want to highlight another aspect companies need consider now they are integration AI. AI has the potential to drastically boost productivity in knowledge intensive organisations over the next years, leading to a surplus value. AI allows knowledge workers to focus on higher-value activities, freeing them up to engage in creative and innovative thinking. This means a drastic change in the insensitivity of work, the added value knowledge workers bring to their employers.

We should ask ourselves: ‘Who should benefit of this productivity boost?’

First, let’s unlock some of ChatGPT’s power to interpret the learnings of famous academics who are no longer amongst us, to answer that question.

What Would Karl Marx Say?

First, I asked ChatGPT what Karl Marx would say about productivity gain in knowledge intensive organisations because of AI integration:

In summary, Marx might view AI integration in knowledge-intensive organizations as a continuation of the historical trend of technological advancements increasing productivity while exacerbating worker exploitation and class inequalities. He would likely argue for a need to radically change the ownership and control structures of AI technologies to ensure that the benefits of increased productivity are equitably shared and contribute to human liberation rather than further alienation and exploitation.

What Would Peter Drucker Say?

Then, I asked ChatGPT the same question about the views of Peter Drucker: In summary, Peter Drucker would likely view the integration of AI in knowledge-intensive organizations as a significant opportunity to enhance productivity, innovation, and decision-making. However, he would also emphasize the need for a balanced approach that considers the human element, ethical implications, and the necessity of continuous adaptation and learning.

Relocating the benefits

These answers both align with my views about the implications of AI in work and its place in our lives.

With the integration of AI, we need to consider if we are allowing this surplus of productivity to ‘automatically’ flow to the employer by holding on to traditional workplace structures. Many people find this logical, but I dare to challenge that. Apart from ethics, or a Marxists view on this, we should look at what we need in this new era.

The 40-hour workweek was designed as optimal for repetitive, simple, and manual labor in a society totally different from today’s.

Despite the rise of the knowledge worker during what is basically our live time (!), we are still stuck in the 40-hour workweek model - dominating not only our workplace but also our broader society and our beliefs around what work should look like. Over the decades the intensity of our work, technology and the demands of society have drastically changed. However, we are still expected to be productive for 40 hours a week.

It is time to optimize work for AI-powered knowledge work

Companies need to adjust to the nature of high-value knowledge work, which dictates a new organisational model with an emphasis on innovation, creativity and employee well-being.

Employees therefore need an optimal work-life harmony, time to disconnect and explore other aspects of their life to enhance creativity and well-being.

Society needs innovative solutions for global challenges and resources to be freed up for contributing to society in other ways than just economic growth. Overall society and economy would benefit tremendously if we’d allow the surplus of increased productivity to be shared between companies and employees.

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Define Your EVP Philosophy

Companies who are now integrating AI in their work processes need to understand what this means in terms of both productivity gain and the consequences for their broader organisation and EVP. AI’s potential to bring radical change to your company's productivity and efficiency will have a profound effect all layers of the workplace - and it is up to you as leadership team how you choose to respond to this. Mapping out a roadmap including a meaningful, intentional and sustainable EVP philosophy, has become an essential part of your Business Strategy.

Define Your EVP Impact Strategy

I have developed an EVP Impact Strategy program , that guides companies through the process.

This AI powered solution consists of a self- facilitated workshop for leadership teams, bringing clarity and alignment around the changes AI will bring, and an expert facilitated session to build a a human-centric Employee Value Proposition in the era of AI.

Find out more

Final reflection

The criticism and negative comments, often coming from a place of resentment, from professionals from various backgrounds on social media show that we are far from understanding the implications of AI in our work, our EVP, and our society. It is also a concerning sign that knowledge workers will be seen as privileged and indicates a widening gap between professions and industries in our society. This is a broader societal problem, and ongoing conversation is necessary. I see a role here for governments and organizations representing employers and employees. We are at the threshold of a revolution, and how we deal with it will shape the future of the next generations.

AFAS is leading the way, in line with their 25 years of building a people-centric culture.

However, I am not advocating for the 4 day work-week here - I am not even fully onboard with the model AFAS is implementing as far as I can understand it, and their model should not be seen as a one-size fits all solution.

Companies need to map out their own strategies aligned with the needs of their business processes, clients, employees and their values. However, this is a best practise of a company deliberately creating a Human Value Proposition in the era of AI.

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Thanks for reading, Warmly, Angelique

Photo by Carl Heyerdahl on Unsplash