Findings Cognitive Interviews:
Eleven German and 13 Polish respondents gave a numeric answer. Most of these respondents weighed between their income and their preferred working hours:
- “In the past, I have also worked 8 hours a day, but in those cases only for the minimum wage. And now I work one hour less every day but end up with a much higher salary. And working 7 hours is much more pleasant than 8 hours a day.” (DE03, 35 hours per week)
- “If the information about ‘still having to earn a living’ hadn't been there, I would have answered 20 hours. For me, part-time would be better for my life satisfaction, but then of course the money factor comes into play, which is why I don't work part-time. Therefore, I would only reduce my working hours a bit.” (DE06, 30 hours per week)
- “Six hours a day, i.e. 30 per week, considering that I work 5 days a week, it would be enough to earn the living.” (PL08, 30 hours per week)
Apart from the need to earn a living, one respondent (DE05) said that the work itself requires a certain number of hours of work:
- “Well, of course you have to weigh up how much time I need to care for my patients properly. And yes, how much do I want so that I feel good. I mean, I don't feel so bad when I work more. But ideally, a free evening once or twice a week would be very nice.” (DExx, 38 hours per week)
Six respondents (DE:
n = 3, PL:
n = 3) indicated that they would prefer to work the same number of hours as currently:
- “I was thinking about what my hourly wage is. That's actually okay. And the time commitment is acceptable. So, I don't see any reason to change.” (DE01)
- “Basically, 35 hours is optimal. That's what I chose for myself. I just want a kind of work-life balance, but just enough to make a living.” (DE16)
Respondent DE12 gave a numeric answer but indicated the same number of hours as she currently works:
“I thought about how satisfied I am with the amount of work I already have. And I am. I am in harmony with it. This is the number of hours I can manage” (DE12, 60 hours per week).
Furthermore, one respondent (DE04) did not answer this question and explained:
“This question is based on the same arithmetic that I was already unable to do in [question 24]. I can't even say I would like to work as few hours as possible, because it's just not true. Because I don't see work just as a livelihood, but as an enrichment of my life” (DE04, don’t know).
Most respondents found it “very easy” or “rather easy” to answer the question (
n = 25). Respondent DE03 mentioned that he would like to give a range instead of an exact number:
“I would like to write ‘35 – 40’ hours here. But that's not possible, you can only enter a number. If I had to choose, I would enter 35” (DE03, 35 hours per week).
Out of the respondents with multiple jobs (
n = 15), four respondents (two from each country) only referred to their main job.
Summary:
- Most of the respondents found it easy to answer this question and weighed between the hours of work and the need to earn a living.
- Some respondents with multiple jobs only referred to their main job.
