The city council did note, however, that lower unemployment costs offset this increase by approximately 10%. It’s far too expensive to carry out a general shortening of working hours within a reasonable time frame.ġ7 additional staff were hired to compensate for the shorter workdays, increasing the local government’s payroll by $738,000. While the trial achieved good results-staff experienced lower stress levels and patients received a higher level of care-the policy was unsustainable. Similar to the first case, compensation was unchanged. Public healthcare workers in Gothenburg, Sweden, trialed a six-hour workday for two years. Interestingly, the studio also trialed a seven-hour workday, and saw no positive effects. ![]() We did see some decrease in production for some staff, mostly our artists, but an increase in production for our programmers. While staff enjoyed more time for their private lives, productivity across different departments saw mixed results. Staff reception was positive, and the company has since adopted it permanently. Case 2: Successful Trial with Trade-offsįilimundus, a Sweden-based software studio, trialed a six-hour workday in 2014. Perhaps most impressive is the fact that productivity remained the same.Įmployees designed a number of innovations and initiatives to work in a more productive and efficient manner.įollowing the trial, the firm’s founder expressed interest in implementing the four-day workweek on a permanent basis. Employee stress levels fell by 7 percentage points while overall life satisfaction rose by 5 percentage points. ![]() ![]() Perpetual Guardian, a New Zealand-based estate planning firm, trialed a four-day workweek for two months with no changes to compensation. Challenging the Status QuoĮmployers are now experimenting with shorter work schedules to see if happier employees are in fact better employees. To properly measure the happiness-boosting potential of a shortened workweek, it seems we need to isolate its effects. The falling Turkish lira and Greece’s debt crisis are two significant examples. On the other end of the scale, economic hardship is a recurring theme among the OECD’s least happiest countries. With these in mind, we can make a few additional observations.įour of the five happiest OECD countries are located in the Nordics, a region known for low corruption rates and robust social safety nets. The perception of corruption throughout business and governmentīased on survey results about charity donations Having someone to count on in times of trouble The average of 3 measures: worry, sadness, and anger The average of 3 measures: happiness, laughter, and enjoyment For instance, the World Happiness Report 2019 calculates happiness scores based on eight distinct metrics: Happiness is multifaceted, though, and we should avoid drawing conclusions from a single variable. While this affects the entire data set, Japan’s high share of part-time workers ( 37% as of 2017) suggests it is particularly vulnerable to underestimation.Ĭoincidentally, all five of the least happiest countries work more hours than the OECD average, up to over 264 hours in the case of Greece. *OECD data includes full- and part-time workers. Compare this to the five least happiest countries: The five happiest countries each work over 100 hours less than the OECD average. Here’s how the five happiest countries stack up: Country The tables below list the happiest countries as well as the unhappiest countries in the OECD happiness scores range from 0 to 10, with a 10 representing the best life possible.īased on the data, there appears to be some degree of correlation between a person’s happiness and the amount of hours they work. If working longer days is so harmful to our well-being, what happens if we work fewer hours instead? Comparing the Numbers Another study, conducted across 14 countries, concluded that people who worked long hours were 12% more likely to become excessive drinkers. In extreme cases, however, symptoms can extend beyond the usual stress and fatigue.įor example, the American Heart Association found that people under the age of 50 had a higher risk of stroke when working over 10 hours a day for a decade or more. The unhealthy side effects of working long hours are well established. Today’s chart plots data from the World Happiness Report 2019 and the OECD to determine if there’s any correlation between a country’s happiness and average hours worked per person. Is it reasonable then, in our quest for happiness, to begin working less? Advocates of a shorter workweek would agree, but these policies have yet to be widely-adopted. After all, it can be difficult to find enough time for the things we love. Can A Shorter Workweek Make People Happier?įor many people, the concept of a shorter workweek is enticing.
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