So I suppose you have all read about the 6 hour working day that has been implemented within some companies in Sweden? Sounds like heaven! A six hour working day! What would you do with all of the extra time? Take up a hobby? Spend time with your loved ones? Tidy the house? Create banquets come dinner time?!
Studies have shown that employees can be just as productive in a 6 hour working day as they are in a normal 8 hour day. With the opportunity to have those extra couple of hours to yourself in the day, employees have reported that they are more productive and refreshed to tackle the days duties in the shorter amount of time, creating a better work/life balance and resulting in better focus from the employees.
To all our envy, a company in the UK trialled this concept through December and January. And the outcome? To my surprise, not as positive as you may think. The whole ‘idea’ of leaving early was great. More time to themselves to get on with those out of work activities - snowboarding, the gym, socialising!
But for some, the 6 hours became more of a hindrance than an advantage. It ate into the time that they could spend on their work and they ultimately felt more rushed to get the task in hand completed.
So would this concept work for a recruiter? Sorry to say but probably not! Here at PIE, the team are non-stop from the moment they step into the office until the office closes. And it doesn’t stop there as I know many of my colleagues start earlier than our 'official' hours if they need to and may work into their evenings and weekends to accommodate candidates or clients!
So I’m sorry to quash any dreams that you had of skipping out of the office at 4.00pm but it’s very unlikely that we’ll be adopting this. Maybe on a Friday!
A British company has shortened its working day from eight hours to six, inspired by a Scandinavian model aimed at boosting wellbeing and efficiency. Workers at Liverpool-based Agent Marketing say they feel more “refreshed” and “energised” since the work day was reduced, though some admit it felt “strange” to start with. The company is trialling having a shorter day in December and January, following a movement among companies in Sweden to reduce the working day to boost morale, health and work-life balance.
Read the original article here