As the US shifts working hours upwards, and the UK feels like it’s following suit, and as work and home time become blurred with permanent presence through mobiles, and social media at work, it’s interesting to see more Swedish companies switching to the 6 hour day. This comes in some companies with a fairly strict “work hours are for work activities” policy, but equally a “home hours are for home activities” counterbalance.
The “work hours for work activities” could seem very countercultural in a permissive UK which is trying to blur the lines, encourage its employees to post about how great their work is on Facebook and tweet every company activity. But some would argue that we’ve lost the power of focussed work in allowing the two to interleave so readily. In that context, one could see reduced hours potentially increasing productivity, as well as the elusive balance.
I like it. Let’s see how it works out.
Check out the full article from Fast Company here.