Achieving the six-hour workday

Most of us would say that the eight hour working day is far too long, but is that because we’ll do anything for extra time in bed, or do we actually understand the reasons why six hour days are more beneficial?

The eight-hour day may consist of doing some work, but clock watching, snacking at your desk and planning for your days off is more likely to take priority for some staff.

Research is challenging the effectiveness of the traditional eight-hour day, with evidence suggesting that working fewer hours could be advantageous to both employees and employers.

After trialling out the reduced working hours, Swedish care homes and hospitals found that productivity and employee happiness was increased as staff were able to enjoy an enhanced work-life balance.

The Swedish nurses were working fewer hours, but receiving the same hourly rate. To counteract this issue staff were given an hourly raise after becoming more productive within their new working hours.

Whilst the employers were getting more for their money from employees working harder, workers were said to be happier too. If companies can keep their staff happy, they’ll also see a smaller turnover of staff and spend less on finding, hiring, and retaining new employees.

But the idea of fewer working hours is nothing new. In the 1930s, economist John Maynard Keynes suggested that by 2030 we would all be enjoying 15 hour working weeks and reaping the benefits from ever-improving technology.

Keynes estimated that the advancements of technology would give humans more leisure time – and he hit the nail on the head there – as with more tasks being automated by artificial intelligence, we can expect the future to consist of shorter working days and long weekends.

However, it might be a while until Keynes’ concept of the five-day-weekend comes into play.