Gothenburg, Sweden to try out 6-hour workdays
Digital Reporter
Tuesday, June 3, 2014, 2:10 PM - Sweden's second-largest city is rolling out a plan to make employees more efficient.
The solution?
Have them work less.
Yes, you heard that right: The City of Gothenburg is about to role out an experimental six hour workday for government workers this summer.
If it works out, the concept could spread across the country, the Washington Post reports.
Reducing the eight-hour workday down to six would leave people with a lot of extra time. According to the Washington Post, the average full-time Swede works 222 days a year, clocking in about 1,332 out of the 8,760 hours in a year.
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The extra two hours a day would provide workers with 444 hours -- or 18.5 extra days.
Sweden isn't the only country that takes a non-traditional approach to the standard work week.
Many full-time employees in the Netherlands, for example, compress their hours into four-day weeks.
The trial is expected to begin July 1 on a group of government workers. Their output will be compared to another group that is working the standard eight-hour day.
It's hoped the employees with the shorter day will make up for the lost hours by working more efficiently.
If the trial proves to be successful, the six-hour workday may be extended to other government employees.
