DETROIT (WWJ) – General Motors is said to be looking at a novel idea to help it stem some big losses in Europe.

The plan would be to shorten work days at some of its German plants, instead of laying off workers, which is very difficult in Europe. The Wall Street Journal says the idea would be to alternate a normal work week with a short week. That would give GM the ability to make much needed cuts in production.

GM is in talks with its union and the German government.

General Motors’ CEO Dan Akerson, meanwhile, is taking aim at some of his company’s critics.

Akerson says change may look messy from the outside, but it’s needed to ensure GM’s success. The CEO, in a Detroit Free Press column, says much of what’s been written about General Motors lately bears little resemblance to the company he knows.

Akerson has been taking heat after recent management changes. He says his company is being hurt by sensationalism, and at the very least, it’s obscured the progress GM has made.