Current Happenings in Sweden: 8 April 2014

This week, officials in Gothenburg have announced a trial run of the 6-hour workday. The city's municipal staff will begin to work under the new hours and if all goes well, the entire country can be expected to cut down the normal workday to six hours, without reducing pay. The reasoning behind this strategy is that providing full pay without the exhausting shifts is expected to "cut down on sick leave, boost efficiency, and ultimately save Sweden money" (Oliver Gee, The Local). Shortening workdays may help to boost workers' morale and productivity as it will cut down on the monotony of a regular "nine-to-five" job. We hope to see the results of this trial run within the next few weeks; if it is successful in Sweden, it is likely that more countries around the world will make the switch to shorten workday hours.