Swedish Businesses Are Trialling Six Hour Working Days To Improve Worker Morale And Health
Swedish Businesses Are Trialling Six Hour Working Days
Sara C Nelson— The Huffington Post UK
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A six-hour working day to improve staff morale and efficiency is being trialled at a number of businesses in Sweden.
The county is already famed for its approach to a healthy work/ life balance and in 2012 was registered as having some of the shortest work hours among OECD countries.
Some businesses in Sweden are reducing their working day to six hours instead of eight
He said: “I think the eight-hour workday is not as effective as one would think. To stay focused on a specific work task for eight hours is a huge challenge… In order to cope, we mix in things and pauses to make the workday more endurable.”
To accommodate the lost two hours, Feldt explains staff are asked to minimise distractions such as social media and meetings are cut down. Productivity, he says, has remained the same.
“My impression now is that it is easier to focus more intensely on the work that needs to be done and you have the stamina to do it and still have energy left when leaving the office.”
He claims his staff are happier and report feeling less drained and fatigued, adding: “Going from an eight-hour day to six has helped us spread the message that we invest in our staff. That we believe that a happy staff is the absolute top priority for a successful company.”
Meanwhile Swedish retirement home Svartedalens has been trialling shorter days for the same wage since February, the Guardian reports.
“I used to be exhausted all the time, I would come home from work and pass out on the sofa,” says Lise-Lotte Pettersson, 41, an assistant nurse at the care home in Gothenburg. “But not now. I am much more alert: I have much more energy for my work, and also for family life.”
The Svartedalens trial has seen an extra 14 staff hired to cover the shortfall in hours, but has inspired Gothenburg’s Sahlgrenska University Hospital’s orthopedic surgery unit to follow suit. And the newspaper writes the trend is not limited to the public sector, with small businesses also reporting successes.
A similar experiment at a Toyota services centre in Gothenburg has been ongoing for around a decade.
But not everyone is an advocate of the shorter hours.
You can't rehash every annoyance or major problem with your partner every day or all you will do is sound like you're constantly complaining. Be selective about which story you want to share and which experiences you will keep to yourself. (credit:Thinkstock)
Start The Evening With Quiet Time(02 of07)
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Everyone should have a chance to get in the door and unwind from their own stress at work before being hit with a laundry list of their partner's issues. So don't walk in the door complaining. Come in, change clothes, decompress and use that time to calm down and consider what things should be shared and which ones should not. (credit:Thinkstock)
Limit Stress Talk(03 of07)
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Limit the amount of time you discuss what's stressing you. You have so little time to spend with your partner after work so don't spend it all complaining about problems. Sometimes we have rolling conversations about stressful things throughout the night. You bring it up as soon as you get home, then again during dinner, then after dinner, and then again in bed. Have the conversation once and avoid revisiting it unless absolutely necessary. (credit:Thinkstock)
Balance The Negative With Positive(04 of07)
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Spend as much time talking about non-stressful things or being affectionate as you spend stressing out. You want to leave your partner with a positive feeling about you, instead of with a knot in their stomach. (credit:Thinkstock)
Listen As Much As You Talk(05 of07)
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If you want your partner to listen to you when you're sharing your concerns, then be sure to listen to your partner when they're sharing theirs. Things will go better if you make eye contact and nod or comment to show agreement or react to what they're sharing. Listening while staring at the TV or reading your mobile device will make your partner feel ignored. (credit:Thinkstock)
Share With A Friend(06 of07)
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Our significant others tend to be our best friends, and so we want to tell them everything that we go through both personally and professionally. Sometimes we don't realize when that is becoming overwhelming or just too much info in too little time. If you have a good friend, sometimes you can decide to share with that person and not bring your every concern home to your partner. (credit:Thinkstock)
Disconnect Electronically(07 of07)
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So many of us are glued to our phones and computers but at some point we need to disconnect for the night and relax, especially when you need time for yourself and to spend time with your spouse and kids. You can't keep taking calls and reading emails through dinner, in the bathroom, in the bed and in the middle of a bedtime story. Choose a cutoff time to put your phone to bed and/or limit the amount of time you spend on the phone/computer so that you have time to take care of home.I know everyone needs to do what it takes to keep their jobs, but at the same time you won't be successful at work if you're falling apart from stress and your home life is crumbling around you. When you get home from work, try to manage your time and communications about work in a balanced way so that you can use your time at home to relax and recharge, not just rehash the day and keep the stress going. (credit:Thinkstock)