Sweden introduces a six-hour working day with full pay

[webfact]

Sweden introduces a six-hour working day with full pay in bid to reduce sick leave, boost efficiency and make staff happier
Government staff in Swedish city of Gothenburg to take part in trial
One department will work six hour days, while another will work seven
Two will be compared to see if shorter days improve efficiency
Opposition politicians dismiss move as a ploy to win votes at election
Policy has been trialled in country before with little success
By CHRIS PLEASANCE

GOTHENBURG: -- Hundreds of Swedish workers are trialling a six-hour working day in the hopes that it will cut sick leave and save the country money.

In an experiment, workers in one government department in Gothenburg are to be put on to six-hour days on full pay, while workers in another department will work a standard seven-hour day.

Mats Pilhem, Left Party deputy mayor of Gothenburg, hopes the six-hour staff will take fewer sick days, and have better physical and mental health as a result.

Speaking to The Local, he said: 'We think it's time to give this a real shot in Sweden.

'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 claimed that a car manufacturer in the city had trialled the six-hour day with promising results.

Full story: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2600416/Sweden-introduces-six-hour-working-day-pay-bid-reduce-sick-leave-boost-efficiency-make-staff-happier.html

-- Daily Mail 2014-04-09

[WoopyDoo]

Wow!....

Sweden have always been forwards thinking, I reckon this will go down a treat with the voters.

[Spoonman]

Thats awesome and infact = 1 more hour of beer drinking time everyday.

[chuckd]

What happened to the 8 hour day?

[Credo]

Sweden is a lovely country with lovely people, but they also have one of the highest suicide rates in Europe. It would seem that they might want to tackle that problem before cutting down on the working hours.

I hope the 6 hour day is successful and catches on other places....like maybe Thailand!

[Overandout]

The Swedes in my company are very disciplined with working hours anyway. They get in early but at 16:30 pens are dropped and they leave.

I've even known of Swedish workers get up and leave a conference with the company president at 16:30. Do that in Spain and you won't be back the next day!

On the other hand, is this the best way for the West to be competitive against the growing powers like China? It is said by some "experts" that the current American / European financial crisis has been compounded by our lack of competitiveness against these production monsters and that countries such as Spain, Ireland, Portugal and Greece should reduce holidays and increase working hours to increase productivity at the same time as accepting comparatively lower wages.

Is it fair then that in some parts of Europe, workers are encouraged to spend time with family and manage the work-life balance whereas others are being told to work harder for less?

So much for the European "Union"....

Edited April 9, 2014 by Overandout

[Credo]

I think the trial is with the government. Governments are pretty inefficient to begin with and it might be a good idea to shut a lot of the branches down all together.

It's probably not a good idea for a manufacturing business.

[coma]

Starting to sound like the Greeks. And look what happened to their economy.

[ebean001]

Sweden can afford to do this. It is a rich country with oil/gas. I want to move to Sweden and 'get a job' but I do not want 'to work'.

[pacman32]

The 6 hour day is already a reality in the UK...............But for very different reasons.

Here we are expected to work for 6 hours without any break hence saving the employers a fortune in paid break time...............just another way for them to screw us over as usual.

Cause and Affect - Employment Agency Generation.....If you dont like it you can go!

Be careful what you wish for Sweden.

[edwinchester]

Sweden is a lovely country with lovely people, but they also have one of the highest suicide rates in Europe. It would seem that they might want to tackle that problem before cutting down on the working hours.

I hope the 6 hour day is successful and catches on other places....like maybe Thailand!

No way is my missus doubling her hours!

[JesseFrank]

And then wonder why there is inflation .

[uptheos]

Sweden is a lovely country with lovely people, but they also have one of the highest suicide rates in Europe. It would seem that they might want to tackle that problem before cutting down on the working hours.

I hope the 6 hour day is successful and catches on other places....like maybe Thailand!

indeed, looking forward to the western restaurant and bar owners implementing it.....with full pay and two days a week off.

[rotary]

This is terrible. The problem with the world now is many people are lazy and spend excess free time making problems for the world.

[slipperylobster]

Sweden has an "Honor Pass" from me ... permanently. I have had many things said and done for me in Sweden. More incredible is that I am one of the (sometimes) despised citizens of America. As a stranger, I was picked up by an older gentleman and his wife and was welcomed into their home. Not only their home, but in their son's room (who was off to college). I was a down and out young, long haired, traveler at that time. Drinking with swedes has always been a pleasure...as they are happy (sometimes noisey) drinkers as I am. We enjoyed many a song, dance, and irreverent behavior together (albeit the music was mostly from Abba). Even the Swedish thugs loved me in the P.I.

I hope they enjoy their shorter work schedule, keep singing and dancing, have many more hours to enjoy life. May the devil take us all ! sKOl tamy Fahn.

and thanks for all those gorgeous blonde women.

[thurien]

I hope the 6 hour day is successful and catches on other places....like maybe Thailand!

to our Thai comrades, that would mean a drastic increase from the present REAL working hours/day

[Ulic]

Good for them but I don't think it will work. People who don't want to work just call in sick. The ones that do will get

second jobs. Better off to increase work hours or flexible hours and allow staff to bank extra vacation time.

[thailampang2012]

In the US the production is a lot better....10 hours work with 8 hours pay!.....weekends work? FREE.......Thanks to the Silicon Valley companies work policies.....Take or leave it!.........Very soon will be country's new work law.

Edited April 10, 2014 by thailampang2012

[Gimbo]

The Swedes in my company are very disciplined with working hours anyway. They get in early but at 16:30 pens are dropped and they leave.

I've even known of Swedish workers get up and leave a conference with the company president at 16:30. Do that in Spain and you won't be back the next day!

If the company president don't wish to pay for the the workers time beyond 16:30, then of course they will leave him. He is not giving away whatever the company produces for free is he? So why should his employees be expected to give away their product for free...their product being their expertise and know-how.

[soalbundy]

They've got nothing on Thailand,here its a zero hour work day with full pay

[Credo]

Obviously, some of you have never worked for a Thai employer. I have. I have also seen Thai workers who put in a 9 or 10 hour day without overtime. I've seen people not being allowed breaks. Are they more efficient? Generally, not, but do they have to put in a lot of time? Yes, they do.

The next time you see or read about one of those horrible bus/van/truck crashes, just keep in mind not all of them are drunk or on drugs, some of them have been behind the wheel for many, many hours without a break or sleep.

For those people who work in Bangkok, after that extra long day, they then get to fight hours in traffic to get home.

[Som wat]

Time for the 6 hr workers to work like buggery and the 7 hour lads to slack off. Can't beat designated testing time.

[Basil B]

Thats awesome and infact = 1 more hour of beer drinking time everyday.

Or if you work in the UK 1 extra hours overtime every day, (unless you work for an American based company that salaries you whereby you will just have to work an extra hour each day for no extra pay)

[belg]

thai people should learn swedish asap, so they can move jobs to thailand... hahaha, dont laugh, but some big companies already are doing HR & other stuff in thailand for europeon countries = 10x cheaper, not only salary, but no pension or high social taxes here

[Overandout]

The Swedes in my company are very disciplined with working hours anyway. They get in early but at 16:30 pens are dropped and they leave.

I've even known of Swedish workers get up and leave a conference with the company president at 16:30. Do that in Spain and you won't be back the next day!

If the company president don't wish to pay for the the workers time beyond 16:30, then of course they will leave him. He is not giving away whatever the company produces for free is he? So why should his employees be expected to give away their product for free...their product being their expertise and know-how.

You are of course correct. No-one should be made to work more than their contract requires them to. BUT and its a big BUT, what we are seeing in Europe is that the gap is widening between the member states in attitudes to work ethics.

I actually think that 6 hours is too short a day for manufacturing / service industries, but why is it that in some countries the workforce that actually has employment is being pressured to work longer for less whereas in other countries the workers are being protected and rewarded by having to do less for equal gain?

I'm certainly no communist, but I do think that some form of equality should be the ultimate goal. There will always be differences in working conditions and pay from country to country based on many factors, but I can't see how making things so easy for one set of individuals will benefit the Union in the long run in its fight to remain competitive at world level.

Chancellor Merkel was pretty tough about Spain´s excessive number of public holidays (14 per year), and generous annual leave allowances (some people get up to 25 days) and suggested that Spain should fall into line with Germany in order to increase productivity, what she forgets is that many Spanish workers regularly work 9-10 hours a day with no overtime and earn approx 20% less in real terms, so lets see what she says about Sweden's plans. Nothing I'll wager.

[slapout]

Maybe a trend for that part of the world. Some Norway oil workers will work offshore for 2 weeks and then receive 4 weeks off. This schedule will require at least 1/3 more employees. Not sure how pay was/will be affected, in the past your time off was equal to time offshore, which seemed to be the norm around the globe. For many companies travel time was on employee thus not paid. Interesting times vs what work hour requirements were like 40 years ago and then compare to 100 years and then in some of todays developing nations.

[Amaximus]

Sweden is a lovely country with lovely people, but they also have one of the highest suicide rates in Europe. It would seem that they might want to tackle that problem before cutting down on the working hours.

I hope the 6 hour day is successful and catches on other places....like maybe Thailand!

Sweden does not have a particularly high suicide rate. They are only 15 in the OECD and 47 in the world - it's about the same as the USA's. Switzerland, Finland and FRANCE have higher rates to name a few.

This busllshit is always trotted out when people talk about the many successes of it's social democratic post war policies - especially from Americans.

[Amaximus]

I think the trial is with the government. Governments are pretty inefficient to begin with and it might be a good idea to shut a lot of the branches down all together.

It's probably not a good idea for a manufacturing business.

Why do you think governments are inefficient?

[Amaximus]

Sweden can afford to do this. It is a rich country with oil/gas. I want to move to Sweden and 'get a job' but I do not want 'to work'.

I think you're thinking of Norway.

[Ozziepat]

Note that this is the government putting [part of] itself on a 6 hour day at full pay, so taxpayers are footing the same bill and getting 25% less "work" time in return. Big money says clever gov will declare the experiment a huge success and expand the program. Why not? Especially since there is not and never has been any concept of government efficiency, and all governments are monopolies by definition so "competition" doesn't exist. No one will be able to argue that things got worse because there is no quantitative measure for the status quo.