HR, Trades, Health - Finland's PM Proposes 4-Day Workweek
Finland's new Prime Minister Sanna Marin is proposing putting the entire country on a four-day workweek consisting of six-hour workdays.
"I believe people deserve to spend more time with their families, loved ones, hobbies and other aspects of life, such as culture," the 34-year old Marin said. "This could be the next step for us in working life."
There's plenty of evidence that this is a great idea.
Last year, Microsoft Japan revealed that a trial four-day workweek had boosted productivity by 40 percent.
In 2018, the New Zealand company Perpetual Guardian - a 240-worker firm that manages trusts, wills, and estates - ran an experiment with the four-day workweek. By the end of the two month trial, staff stress levels lowered seven percent. Before the trial, 54 percent said they could handle the work-life balance; after the two months, that number went up to 78 percent. Other metrics including leadership, commitment, stimulation and empowerment, and they all climbed post-trial.