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Swedes to give six-hour workday a go

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M

mellz

Member
http://www.thelocal.se/20140408/swedish-workers-to-test-six-hour-work-days

Municipal staff in Gothenburg will act as guinea pigs in a proposed push for six-hour workdays with full pay, with hopes that it will cut down on sick leave, boost efficiency, and ultimately save Sweden money.

"We think it's time to give this a real shot in Sweden," Mats Pilhem, Left Party deputy mayor of Gothenburg, told The Local.

He explained that the municipal council would use two different departments - a test group and a control group, in essence. Staff in one section will cut down to six-hour days, while their colleagues in a different section stick to the ordinary seven-hour day. All employees will be given the same pay.

"We'll compare the two afterwards and see how they differ. We hope to get the staff members taking fewer sick days and feeling better mentally and physically after they've worked shorter days," he said.

Pilhem said he hoped the move would create more jobs, as he had seen evidence that longer shifts entailed less efficiency. In some sectors, such as elderly care, the problem was not staff shortages, he claimed, but people working inefficiently over longer shifts.

He added that a Gothenburg car factory had recently tested the six-hour method and the results were encouraging.

The opposition in the western city has reacted strongly to the test run.

Maria Rydén of the Moderates, who also sits on the city council, told the Metro newspaper that the proposal was a "dishonest and populist ploy" with elections just around the corner. She added that she didn't think such a move would have any impact on quality.

But Pilhem said the plan was nothing new.

"We've worked a long time on this, we've not planned it to be an election thing," he said. "These people are always against shortening hours."

Various parts of Sweden have experimented with shorter working hours before, but the concept has yet to take off.
Click to expand...
 
S

StalkerUKCG

Banned
The future.

If you sleep 6 hours and work 6 hours then you still have 12 hours of "day" left. Basically those in day jobs that require in office work or manual labour still have a regular life
 
M

Manu

Member
airplane.jpg
 
Lamel

Lamel

Banned
Wow, so lazy you Swedes.You choose to work there, why don't you just quit if it's too long of a day?
 
Meesh

Meesh

Member
Huh, Swedes got it swede...er sweet. If I could only work 8 and get maybe 10-12 cuz health, productivity, ect. I'd do it!!! They've got it right though, the last 2 hours of a shift is the least productive.
 
P

pringles

Member
Sooner or later the world will realize that it's better to work less hours efficiently than more hours innefficiently. As someone who works both 8 and 12 hour shifts I can vouch for the 8h shifts being more productive. 6 would be amazing.
 
T

The Boat

Member
Wasn't it in Sweden that they were trying to implement several jobs/services for people who function better during the night? God damn world, look at Sweden!
 
B

big_z

Member
Does this six hour work day include your break? That would be nice.

Back when merica set forth the cancer of 8 hour work days were breaks included in that time? I hate that 8 hour work days are actually 9+ then you factor in the common over time and time it takes to get ready/travel and nearly the whole day is work related.
 
J

JCX

Member
Necessary change for the future.

FDR ordered something similar for government employees in order to cut the work week so more people could be hired.
 
I

IceCold

Member
I agree with this. Most people with office jobs waste a lot of time. It's simply impossible to be productive in a cubicle for 8 hours a day.
 
Mr Nash

Mr Nash

square pies = communism
Vyroxis said:
That is 1/3 of what I work every day. It would drive me nuts only working 20 hours a week.
Click to expand...

Why? Couldn't you just cultivate a few hobbies with the extra free time? Take some interesting courses? Go to the gym? Read a book? Play some games?
 
C

Captain Pants

Killed by a goddamned Dredgeling
I get a half day every week since I work 6 days a week. It is easily my most productive day. I work faster and harder in order to finish things up. Knowing I have 8 hours to get a to-do list knocked out leads to so much procrastinatation
 
J

J2d

Member
I hope they test this at my job someday, I would be so fucking productive that they would consider lowering it further.
 
A

AnotherNils

Member
Doesn't seem as dramatic considering they already have 7 hour days. Also wonder what studies they've done since the reduction from 8 to 7.
 
A

Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
I suppose that's one way to tackle unemployment. They must not have 24 hour Taco Bells there.

I don't even get it. 8 hours of work a day isn't even that much considering I've never met anyone who was even remotely 100% productive. When my employees work like 60% of the time I give them raises.
 
P

params7

Banned
Its Norway, Netherlands and Sweden that are really doing great things with their justice and social systems. Most of the West and the world will be following their protocols within quarter of a century.
 
G

goldsoundz

Member
As a CPA working 13 hour days for 6 more days straight, I'm about ready to apply for Swedish citizenship. Talk about misery.
 
RoadHazard

RoadHazard

Gold Member
Angry Grimace said:
I suppose that's one way to tackle unemployment. They must not have 24 hour Taco Bells there.
Click to expand...

We don't (no such thing as Taco Bell here), but we do have 24h McDonald's.

(I live in Gothenburg. Don't have a municipal job though, so this won't help me.)

Angry Grimace said:
I don't even get it. 8 hours of work a day isn't even that much considering I've never met anyone who was even remotely 100% productive. When my employees work like 60% of the time I give them raises.
Click to expand...

Well, a big part of the point is to work fewer hours and be more productive during that time rather than wasting so much of it.
 
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