About the fact that more and more Swedish companies are introducing a six-hour working day for their employees. At the same time, it was argued that the management of the companies, and the employees themselves, do not observe a decrease in work efficiency. In some cases (although in which ones it was not specified) the effectiveness even increased. In other words, the point was that employees of companies where a 6-hour working day was introduced manage to do as much as employees of other companies in a full 8-hour day.
“I think the 8-hour workday is not as efficient as many people think,” said Linus Feldt, CEO of mobile app company Filimundus. – Focusing on work for eight hours is extremely difficult. I have to intersperse my work with something for variety. It becomes difficult to deal with personal life, spend time with family." But it seems that everything turned out to be not so rosy, since now all the same Swedish companies are gradually abolishing the six-hour workday, reintroducing the usual and familiar to many eight-hour working day.
Yes, they would also like to work 6 hours a day... but it didn’t work out
Interestingly, many proponents of the six-hour workday have previously argued that the idea that a person can work effectively for eight hours is false. But with a six-hour working day, people feel a surge of enthusiasm and give 150%, while employees of “six-hour” companies have less conflict with each other and feel more satisfied with life. Studies conducted by researchers from OECD countries have shown that people who work more than 50 hours a week have more high level morbidity than in people who work regular or reduced hours. After analyzing data from 600,000 respondents, it was found that the risk of coronary heart disease among workaholics increases by about 13%, and the risk of stroke by 33%. Among women a large number of work leads to depression (in men too, but in women depression in this case occurs more often).
However, even with a shortened working day, not everything is as rosy as it seemed. For example, in one of the state-owned companies, which for two years conducted an experiment with changing the length of the working day, they say that a six-hour schedule is too expensive. We are talking about an elderly care clinic in Gothenburg. This state-owned company introduced a six-hour workday, believing that it made staff feel more positive and look after their employees more effectively. A few months after the introduction of the new regime, the organization’s management stated that the quality of services had indeed improved, since employees were not so tired and were more enthusiastic.
The city administration said there are no plans to scale up the clinic's experience. Moreover, there is a high probability that employees will soon switch to a regular eight-hour day. The problem is that during the experiment it was necessary to significantly increase the cost of operating personnel. In order to compensate for the decrease in work hours of 68 employees, the organization had to hire 17 more people, which cost the city budget an additional $1.3 million.
“All of this comes with high costs. It's too expensive for other organizations to cut hours in the foreseeable future,” said Daniel Bernmar, a local official who oversees care for the city's elderly residents.
Not just money
A report from the hospital's management in Gothenburg shows that the problems are not only about additional financial costs and hiring additional staff. The same elderly care clinic saw its employee sickness rate increase from 8% to 9.3%. The hospital's medical staff were not too pleased with the changes. Thus, only 20% of employees showed satisfaction that their working hours were reduced. In another company in the same city, employees began to ask for vacation or time off about three times more often, and sick leave began to happen twice as often.Why? The fact is that the working day was reduced, but the amount of work was not. Employees have to do the same work in a shorter time frame, which leads to too much workload, stress and, consequently, illness and dissatisfaction with life.
The experiment in Gothenburg is the latest in a series of similar ones. The Swedes' experiment was closely followed by experts and journalists from all over the world. The results of this experiment could change a lot, because if labor efficiency increased without additional costs, then officials in other European countries and the United States would undoubtedly begin to implement similar plans.
Some Swedish politicians are confident that a system with a 6-hour working day will be useful to the state, but for municipalities this is an additional burden on the budget if we're talking about on the introduction of a new operating regime in state-owned companies. With the widespread implementation of the new experience, representatives of the Swedish Left Party say, reducing the working day will cost taxpayers an impressive amount each year.
What about other countries?
In France, they are also discussing the possibility of reducing the working day. Politicians, trying to keep up with the times, are promising to end the 35-hour work week. According to François Fillon, a representative of the Conservative party, the old work regime "caused a lot of harm." For now, promises remain promises.In Switzerland, at one time they discussed the possibility of reducing the working day, but nothing came of it. True, the inhabitants of this country are famous for their efficiency and reluctance to spend time without a goal. They even refused to conduct an experiment with an unconditional income, while residents of other countries happily agreed to this. During the referendum against the introduction new practice 81% of voters spoke.
In Switzerland, however, the level of wages is quite high, so that people do not have to work full time, but receive a decent wage (allowing them to live normally) for working part-time or three-quarters of the time. If there are two people working in a family, then half the salary for each person in most cases is enough to not need anything.
Interestingly, experts from the United States believe that robots will soon be able to replace those employees who earn less than $20 per hour (we are talking about routine work performing relatively simple operations). In this case, human employees may be moved to a six-hour workday for the simple reason that their services will no longer be required to the same extent. Some experts believe that there may be a positive aspect to this - for example, employees who will be replaced by robots will study more in order to get a more attractive job with high pay.
Let's go back to Sweden
In Sweden, working hours are gradually decreasing, as shown by statistics over the last hundred years. But so far the government has no plans to impose a six-hour workday for employees of public and private companies at the national level. By the way, the increase in costs that the management of the elderly care clinic is talking about is only one side of the coin. The second side is the increase in the number of jobs over the past 18 months.According to experts from Sweden, shortening the working day is, in general, a positive idea that will have a positive impact on the country's economy and the fate of many people. In particular, a six-hour working day will allow people who are employed in labor-intensive professions to remain active longer, continuing to work into adulthood. It is possible that some companies will support short-time work not in order to gain an increase in labor productivity, but in order to preserve the working capacity of their employees and allow them to continue working after reaching retirement age.
By the way, the experiment with shortening the working day in Sweden, carried out by officials now, is not the first. From 1989 to 2005, a similar experiment was carried out in Kiruna. Here, 250 workers worked on a six-hour schedule for 16 years. It had to be stopped. The reason is the lack of visible positive results and employee complaints about the excessive amount of work.
At the same time, a number of tech startups from Sweden continue to maintain a six-hour workday for their employees.
“We began to value time more than money,” says the director of Filimundus. – I am sure that a lot of people would choose more free time at the expense of salary. We believe that happy employees are the most important thing for a company. If the employees are happy, the company is happy.” Indeed, the results of companies that have commercial activities are more positive than the results of public companies. Thus, the productivity of employees of the same Filimundus has increased significantly, and employees show satisfaction with their position and work in general.
The head of Internet Brath, Maria Bras, claims that her company, thanks to the introduction short day was able to get more professional staff, plus the company has become more competitive in the labor market. It should be noted that Internet Brath has been working on a reduced schedule for employees for more than three years - it started at the beginning of 2013, when the company's staff was no more than 20 people.
In these types of companies, shortened working hours can serve as an additional incentive for employees who are unlikely to want to leave such a comfortable workplace in order to move to a company with longer working hours. For now, the experiment is ongoing, and we will be able to learn about additional results in a few months.
The Swedish authorities are planning to conduct another experiment - this time in the city of Sundsvall, among workers of social institutions.
Kazakhstan inherited a 40-hour work week from Soviet Union. True, the workload there was a little greater, and working time was distributed a little differently: they worked 6 days, 7 hours each, that is, 42 hours a week. The five-day work week was introduced in the 1960s and labor time was reduced to 41 hours a week, then to 40. This is how the 5/2 schedule, 8 hours a day, familiar to all residents of the modern CIS, appeared. Modern Kazakhstanis live and work according to this system. Moreover, few pay extra for the fact that employees have to stay late.
While Kazakhstan lives by these standards, part-time work and flexible work schedules are becoming increasingly popular throughout the world. Work time countries cut down in different ways: either switch to a four-day work week, or reduce the working day. And the record holders for reducing working hours in the world are European countries.
In Holland The shortest working week in the world is only 29 hours. Dutch specialists are used to working 4 days a week. Both working mothers and working fathers take 3 days off in a row. Everyone is guaranteed vacation and medical care. If the employee wants, he can reduce the number of working hours, while the wages will remain hourly. This is how the state takes care of the balance between personal life and work among its citizens.
In second place Denmark and 33 working hours per week. All Scandinavian countries have adopted flexible work schedules and 5 weeks of paid leave per year. It is easy for employers to fire and hire new candidates, but the employees themselves are protected by law. Companies are required to pay compensation after dismissal for two years.
Followed by Norway with the same indicator - 33 working hours. In the northern country, parents are allowed to reduce the number of their own working hours; almost a year after the birth of a child, a young mother receives a full salary, and annual leave is at least 21 days. Half a day in this country normal phenomenon It is customary to leave home from work no later than 16:00.
The European selection is diluted Australia- It is customary to work there 34 hours a week. The government guarantees Australian workers social protection no worse than in Europe: even those who work part-time have the right to full vacation and weekend benefits.
Germans all over the world are considered to be workaholics, but in fact in Germany work no more than 35 hours a week. Moreover, the working day is structured in an unusual way for us: it is divided into 2 parts. First, the Germans work from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., then have a 3-4 hour lunch break, and in the evening the workers return to spend about three more hours at the workplace. Due to the financial crisis in the country, they prefer not to fire employees, but to reduce working hours. At the same time, the state is trying to compensate workers for lost wages.
In Ireland also work an average of 35 hours a week. Although in the late 80s the Irish worked 44 hours, that is, much more than other Europeans. There are two reasons for the trend: the desire of some specialists to switch to shorter working hours, and the underdeveloped local labor market. To work hard and get enough, many have to leave for neighboring Great Britain.
The same 35 hours is the norm for the working week for Switzerland, but with completely different incomes. The average Swiss's working day begins at 8 am and lasts until 5.30 pm, with a long break for lunch with fondue and Swiss chocolate. In many areas, flexible working hours are considered the norm, when a person comes to work when he wants, but at the same time works the allotted time. A third of the working population switched to part-time work in order to spend more time with their families.
The idea of reducing the working day to 6 hours has been discussed in the world community for a long time, but the only country where it is being implemented in practice is Sweden. There it is implemented mainly by commercial organizations for office workers. All managers of such enterprises note an increase in labor productivity and employee loyalty to the company. One Swedish state nursing home even took part in the experiment. “It turned out that their work cost management more, but at the same time, patient care improved - since the nurses were less tired.” It is worth noting that the experiment with reducing the working hours of nursing home staff is called temporary and can be completed at any time. It is very clear that the main goal of these actions in Sweden is to increase labor productivity - actions exclusively in the interests of the bourgeoisie.
At the same time, in another part of Europe - in France - we see reactionary attempts by the pseudo-socialist government to abolish the 35-hour work week. Such actions cause fierce resistance from workers. Protests have been going on for several months.
History of the issue of reducing the working day in Russia.
Let us briefly touch on the history of the issue of reducing the working day in Russia. One of the first demands of the labor movement in Russia was to limit the length of the working day, which late XIX century was not limited by any laws. The workers' struggle to shorten the working day achieved success only in 1897. The working day was limited by law to 11.5 hours (10 hours on Saturday), and for women and children - 10 hours with six working days a week. Vacation was not provided. There was no restriction on overtime work.
The Great October Revolution brought an eight-hour working day with a six-day working week in Russia. socialist revolution. Later in the USSR, the length of the working day was reduced to 7 hours, but with a 6-day working week. Then, due to the outbreak of World War II, a 48-hour work week was introduced with an 8-hour work day. In the late 1960s, the working day was set at 8 hours, which remains the same today with a 40-hour work week.
No matter how normal this may seem today, it is important to understand that the 8-hour working day is the result of the difficult and persistent struggle of the working class of Russia at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries.
Today in Russia.
Mikhail Prokhorov has already encroached on the 8-hour working day as a conquest of the working class. In April 2010, expressing the cherished dream of our entire underdeveloped bourgeoisie, he proposed changing labor legislation and introducing a 60-hour work week instead of a 40-hour one. It hasn’t come out yet, but this statement hasn’t caused mass protests either.
Two years before this reactionary speech by Prokhorov, on May 15, 2008, at the II Congress of the Federation of Trade Unions of Russia, the “Tasks of Collective Action” Program was adopted, in which the reduction of working hours while maintaining wages is one of the main points. It sounds like this: “increasing the free time of workers by reducing the working day to 6 hours and introducing a 30-hour work week without reducing earnings, as well as by increasing the time of paid vacations.”
Recognition and implementation of actions aimed at implementing the provisions of the Collective Action Objectives Program by various public organizations clearly show on whose side and in the interests of which class they act.
Political economy of the issue.
Material production plays a decisive role in the life of society and is its basis. The method of material production determines the socio-economic formation in which we live. In material production great importance has labor productivity, which is growing especially rapidly in the countries that are leaders in scientific and technological progress (STP). This, however, does not mean that labor productivity is not growing in other countries - this is a general trend for all capitalist countries. The only difference is in the rate of its growth.
“The level of social productivity of labor is not constant, therefore, with an increase in productivity per unit of time, less working time is required to satisfy a fixed social need. As a result, there is a tendency to reduce the total working time in material production, which makes it possible to free up time for non-productive activities that satisfy the intellectual, aesthetic and other needs of society.”
It is worth noting that it is not the growth in the number of small and medium-sized businesses that leads to an increase in social labor productivity, but the development of knowledge-intensive branches of large-scale industry. This is what inevitably leads to the release of labor with a simultaneous increase in its productivity.
The process of increasing social productivity leads to two opposite aspects: a reduction in working hours and a reduction in employment (job cuts). The first action leads to a reduction in the working hours of employees without reducing employment. The second is to reduce employment without reducing working hours remaining employed (increase in the reserve army of labor). These opposing aspects lead to a contradiction in the interests of the owners of the means of production and the working class as the owner of labor power.
“As labor productivity increases, the absolute number of workers in industrialized countries decreases along with a reduction in the time of total production. Chronic unemployment in these countries covers about 30-40 million people.”
It would seem that the bourgeoisie would benefit from resolving this contradiction only in its favor (reducing employment without reducing working time), but in the long term, reducing working time in general and the working day in particular leads to an increase in labor productivity. A reduction in working time, being one of the consequences of an increase in labor productivity, itself leads (becomes one of the reasons) to an increase in labor productivity.
In addition to the growth in labor productivity, “the time released from material production is largely used for the development of education, science, medical services, information services for the progress of society, management, etc.” . We see that the problem is not the lack of social labor that can be released, but that its release should be in the interests of the whole society, and not just a narrow and small part of it.
Thus, the struggle of workers to reduce the working day while maintaining wages is a process aimed at developing social material production, and therefore bringing closer the transition to the next socio-economic formation - communist.
"Ideas become power..."
The demand to reduce the working day to 6 hours while maintaining wages is an economic and political demand. Reducing the working day to 6 hours will ensure the progress of Russian production based on increasing labor productivity, improving working conditions, strengthening the health of workers, increasing their free time, time for family life and raising children, as well as the growth of their trade union and political activity and organization.
The idea of reducing the working day to 6 hours while maintaining wages is quite feasible even at that level of development industrial production, on which it is located modern Russia. Despite the resistance of short-sighted representatives of the bourgeoisie, the working people of Russia are quite capable of such a task, but achieving its implementation is possible only through consistent collective action.
Alexey Kuzmin, member of the Workers' Party of Russia
First of all, workers engaged in productive labor.
Even at the beginning of the last century, an eight-hour working day and two days off a week were considered the greatest social achievement. It seems that a 6-hour working day could be a social achievement of the 21st century, at least now a number of companies in Sweden are trying to switch from an 8-hour working day to a 6-hour one.
Sweden plans to move to a 6-hour working day.
The desire of the Swedes to reduce the working day by 2 hours is associated with concern for the health of citizens, which is not surprising, because promoting a healthy lifestyle is an integral part public life Sweden: sports grounds can be seen in every second yard, at meetings in a number of companies, employees can exercise on an exercise bike in parallel with discussing current tasks, paths for runners can be found everywhere, and the bicycle in Sweden is the main urban means of transportation.
So, according to studies conducted in the United States, Europe and Australia, which involved 600,000 people, those who work more than 55 hours a week have a 33 percent increased risk of stroke and a 13 percent increased risk of coronary heart disease. In addition, women who work more than 49 hours a week are more likely to suffer from depression or apathy.
Based on this study, Sweden is thinking about introducing a 6-hour working day everywhere, but in the meantime several Swedish companies have already decided to deviate from the standards and, on their own initiative, have reduced the working day by two hours.
One of them is Filimundus AD - a development company software, located in Stockholm. According to Linus Feld, CEO of Filimundus AD, a six-hour working day was more effective than an eight-hour working day, and the innovation had a beneficial effect not only on the well-being of employees, but also on the company's performance.
“During the experiment, we saw that if employees need to focus on solving a specific task, a 6-hour working day is more effective. When employees worked 8 hours a day, they inevitably had to spend part of their time solving personal or family problems and being distracted from work, as a result, the level of concentration and efficiency of the company was several times lower,” commented Linus Feld on the innovation.
But you can’t get everything without sacrificing something, for example, in Filimundus AD, after the introduction of a six-hour working day, employees during the working day are prohibited from communicating on social networks, viewing personal email or news on the Internet, in order to reduce distractions from work to a minimum .
“Social networks are the main factor that distracts us from work; they do not allow us to concentrate on solving current affairs. In my opinion, six hours a day without social networks is not such a bad idea, after all, it is entertainment and not a necessary part of life, as many people think,” says Linus Feld.
The Filimundus AD company switched to a 6-hour working day last year; according to the company’s General Director, they do not plan to return to an eight-hour working day: “A six-hour working day allows, on the one hand, to devote more time to family and personal life or to receive additional education, but at the same time leave your personal life aside while working. That is, this is a more rational approach to time planning, you have enough time for everything, but at the same time one does not interfere with the other,” said Linus Feld.
HR specialists at Filimundus AD also noted that since the company switched to a six-hour working day, conflicts between employees have decreased significantly, which again has a positive impact on work performance: “People no longer have time not only to discuss each other friend, but also to find out who is right and who is wrong in a critical situation.
If a problem arises, it is simply solved, rather than wasting time trying to find someone to blame. Plus, people became less nervous and conflict-ridden because they had more time to relax. In addition, a rested person is able to concentrate on tasks more easily and is more motivated, resulting in increased productivity.”
When deciding to shorten the working day by two hours, Filimundus AD focused on experience of Toyota service centers in Gothenburg, which switched to a 6-hour working day 13 years ago.
According to Martin Bank, marketing director of the service centers, since they decided to introduce a 6-hour working day, the company's profits have increased by 25% compared to the period when the company's working day lasted the standard eight hours.
Also, the 8-hour work shift for nurses working at the Gothenburg nursing home Svartedalens was reduced by two hours this year, while the salary of specialists remained the same, but the staff had to be increased by 14 people.
In addition, a 6-hour working day was introduced for employees of the department of orthopedic surgery at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital, a system of three hospitals associated with the Nicholas Sahlgrenska Academy and operating at the University of Gothenburg, as well as doctors and nurses in two departments of the hospital at the Umeå Medical Research Center.
Unfortunately, while Sweden is alone in its desire to reduce the working day by two hours, even the United States looks at the Scandinavian initiative and is amazed. To us, such a work scheme seems more effective both from the point of view of effectiveness and from the point of view of rational distribution of time.
In Sweden, a 6-hour working day is being introduced everywhere, writes The Independent. The working week in the country will now be 30 hours. Employers are implementing the new schedule in a wide range of companies and organizations, including nursing homes, hospitals and auto repair shops. Their goal is to get more done in a shorter period of time. This way, people get the opportunity to enjoy their personal life outside of work.
The director of one of the companies, Linus Feldt, believes that an eight-hour working day may seem effective, but over such a long time it is easy to lose concentration. His company develops mobile applications, so attention and creativity play a role in production process big role.
In addition, the employee is not distracted by social networks, the Internet and extraneous conversations. Now he has enough time for this outside of work. In general, supporters of a short working day are confident that this is the easiest way to make a person happy. The Swedish government is currently studying this issue with a view to legislating a 6-hour working day.
Are we about to switch to a 6-hour working day? The issue of reducing working hours has recently arisen quite often in many countries. However, while other states are just thinking about a similar initiative, Sweden has decided to act: the Kingdom has introduced a 6-hour working day in the city of Gothenburg.
Thus, the government is going to understand how effective this idea is and how it is reflected on performance citizens. The first results are already visible. However, do the statistics for September 2016 look as promising?
Excellent performance for 30 hours per week
The Swedish experiment: how did it start?
It seems that all of human history is a struggle between the employee and the employer (no matter what they were called at different times). At the time Karl Marx wrote his immortal works, workers had to “work hard” for 12 hours; There was only one day off. Gradually the situation for the “exploited” improved, and today the “score” of the battle was established at an 8-hour work week.
Today, for many company employees, a 6-hour working day seems like an impossible dream. But not for the Swedes. The Swedish government has been conducting a study for several months now in which company employees in the city of Gothenburg could work six hours a day. Thus, during a 30-hour workweek, workers in nursing homes, hospitals, factories and other institutions showed unexpectedly higher productivity results compared to the previously 40-hour workweek.
The workers themselves with enthusiasm support the proposed initiative. For example, the work schedule of the staff at the Svatedalens nursing home was adjusted last year, which is now bearing fruit. According to the organization's annual report, patient care has improved significantly, and staff say they have "much more energy for work and family."
For the Sahlgrenska University Clinic, the introduction of a six-hour work schedule led to the hiring of new employees. In order for the hospital to be fully staffed and work around the clock, it was decided to hire 15 more medical personnel. Management admits that the transition to a new work system cost a significant amount of money, but over time it paid off: medical staff began to get sick less and do more work. The latter fact is explained by the fact that the worker knows how much work he must complete in six hours, which - in comparison with eight hours - does not seem “infinite”. As a result, motivation arises to work more efficiently. On the contrary, with an 8-hour day we subconsciously we postpone work until “later”, because we proceed from the already mentioned “infinity” of the working day.
You work less, but more efficiently
Scientists in the field of psychology conducted several experiments and found that a person can concentrate on a certain task for no more than 4-5 hours, since then the level of his productivity begins to fall, and his concentration decreases to zero.
In order to somehow relax, the employee begins to be distracted by social networks and other Internet resources, and some simply begin to “wander in their own thoughts” or go on a smoke break.
This leads to the development of the bad habit of “delaying time until the last minute” instead of immediately completing the necessary task, being “full of strength and energy.”
If you force a person to work longer than he can fully concentrate, he will most likely develop a couple of bad habits -
said a representative of the Swedish company Ericsson.
For years we have been told that an eight-hour work schedule is the best option. But I think we need to look at this issue from a different point of view. If we want to increase productivity, we need to be open to new ideas -
says hospital director Anders Hiltander.
Is a 6-hour work day good for your health?
A 6-hour workday not only increases productivity, but also has a beneficial effect on health. According to the results of studies conducted in OECD countries (the club of the most developed countries on the planet), after processing data on 600,000 respondents, it was found that for those people who work more than 50 hours a week, the risk of coronary heart disease increases by 13 percent; the risk of stroke is up by as much as 33 percent. Women who work more than 50 hours a week are more likely to suffer from depression than others.
Successful experience of companies against the fears of politicians
The idea of introducing a six-hour working day is far from new to Sweden. In turn, the Toyota car plant in Gothenburg established such a work schedule 13 years ago. Instead of shifts from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., mechanics could work 6-hour shifts with short breaks. For example, work could start at 6 a.m. or 12 p.m.
According to the director of the Swedish company Internet Brath, Maria Bras, a 6-hour work schedule makes it possible to make the enterprise competitive in the labor market and get the best personnel. Thus, people will be interested in a short working day, which does not affect their pay. The company has been operating under this system since 2013: then the staff was 22 employees.
However, such an initiative may raise doubts: is it too expensive? How much does six hours of work at the company cost?
Representatives of the Left Party of Sweden believe that such a system will benefit the state, and not to municipalities, who will be forced to recruit new employees, and this will mean new expenses. They also suggest that introducing a six-hour schedule at the state level may be too costly for taxpayers.
8 million crowns per year for the experiment
At the initial stage, the Swedish experiment showed quite good results: profit and productivity labor of companies that switched to a 6-hour working day increased significantly. They may also support the fact that, in some cases, a 30-hour work week is suitable for companies seeking commercial success.
It is noteworthy, but according to preliminary calculations, the Swedish experiment to introduce a 6-hour working day in the city of Gothenburg alone will cost almost 8 million crowns annually, which is about 1 million euros.
Further results have not yet met expectations
Despite all the positive statistics above, a 6-hour workday may still remain a dream. In September 2016, updated results of the experiment appeared from the same Gothenburg - and they are far from rosy. As it turned out, in one nursing home, the rate of illness - and, of course, absenteeism - among employees has increased from what was once 8 percent to 9.3 percent!
Interestingly, hospital staff were ultimately less happy about the short work hours: only 20 percent of nurses were happier because of it. In turn, in another company in Gothenburg, employees began to “ask” for vacation or time off almost three times more often, and messages about going on sick leave began to arrive with double diligence.
It should not be denied that perhaps the reason for such poor “work performance” lies in the suddenly piling up volumes of work: although the working day was reduced, the duties were not. A similar situation has already occurred during a similar experiment in the Swedish city of Kiruna: more than 250 workers worked on a 6-hour schedule for 16 years. As a result, it was suspended in 2005 as staff complained about the high volume of work.
However, the Swedish authorities do not yet intend to give up so quickly: a similar experiment is planned to be carried out in the city of Sundsvall among workers of social institutions. Maybe try number three will work.
How are things in Switzerland?
Let's move from Sweden to the very heart of Europe - to Switzerland. How are things going with labor issues in the Confederation? Without keeping the intrigue for long, I will say right away that in Switzerland there is still an 8-hour working day. Moreover, today, apparently, the Swiss are satisfied with everything, and there are no proposals to reduce working hours approved by the majority of the population (for now).
It is important, however, to understand the socio-political and economic realities of Switzerland: the 6-hour working day in Switzerland is not yet gaining much popularity not only because of the legendary the industriousness of the Swiss (let me remind you that in a recent referendum they overwhelmingly rejected the so-called “unconditional income”), but also because of the flexibility of the local labor market. Let me explain: in Switzerland, many people work part-time (for example, 50 or 80 percent); Moreover, the earnings are often enough for a decent life. People in a marriage or same-sex partnership where both spouses work are especially likely to afford part-time work in Switzerland.
Switching to a 6-hour working day: choice or necessity?
So far, Sweden is the only country that not only talks about reducing working hours, but also puts the new concept into practice. Other countries are either just observing the Swedish experiment or ignoring it altogether. However, it is possible that a 6-hour working day will be introduced everywhere not voluntarily, but due to pressure from objective trends in economic development. Thus, in its 2016 Economic Report, the US Council of Economic Advisers stated that in the coming years, robots will replace workers who earn less than $20 an hour in the US (just over 19 Swiss francs).
True, for low-paid workers the situation does not look so fatal, since production automation can serve as an incentive to improve professional knowledge and, in particular, skills for working with machines. However, this will require fewer workers or fewer hours of work. That is why a 6-hour working day should help the government keep workers the same wages without the risk of increased unemployment.
By the way, a 30-hour work week does not play any role for illegal immigrants who arrived in the northern country. According to the Swedish Immigration Bureau, refugees in Sweden practically do not work, although they have the right to do so.
www.business-swiss.ch
