Is it possible for 6 hours to do more than 8 hours

Can I work for 6 hours a day, and do even more than in the standard schedule? The authorities of the Swedish city of Gothenburg believe that it is possible. Will soon begin an experiment designed to prove that the 36-hour working week increases productivity.

40-hour work week is the norm in Russia, as in many European countries - Germany, France, Denmark, UK, Norway, - the number of working hours are gradually reduced. Whether this is due only to advanced economies and high living standards, or by reducing working hours, it is possible to achieve greater productivity? In the Swedish city of Gothenburg we decided to test it experimentally.

Some government employees of Gothenburg in Sweden this summer involved in an interesting experiment. They try to work 6 hours a day with the preservation of the standard salary.

The project, which will last a year, will start July 1st. Employees will be divided into two groups. One group will work on a shorter schedule - 6 hours a day, and their counterparts in the second group - as usual for 8 hours per day.

It is believed that fewer hours of focused work will help to increase productivity. It is not known because of what exactly were made such suggestions, but the experiment is to prove or disprove this view.

"We compared the two groups and see how they differ - says Matt Pilhem, Deputy Mayor of Gothenburg. - We hope that the staff working less will be less likely to go to the hospital and to feel better after the operation. "

In the culture of the American workaholics sitting on caffeine, made to work long hours and remain productive. In OECD countries, often more developed, with a high standard of living, on the contrary, there is a loss of productivity of employees with an increase in the number of working hours.

Here are two graphs which show the number of working hours per week affect GDP. The first graph shows the number of hours worked per week.

On the second - the average productivity of workers per hour of work (if the index higher than 100, GDP per hour more than the EU average).
For example, as you can see below, the Greeks spend more time on the job, but they are not the most productive workers.

Experiment in the XX century

Swedish experiment is not the first attempt to increase productivity by reducing work hours. Back in 1930, during the Great Depression, the cereal magnate B. TO. Kellogg decided to conduct an experiment. He was replaced by three 8-hour shifts at its plant in Battle Creek, Michigan for four 6-hour shifts. As a result, the company has hired hundreds of new people, production costs have fallen and productivity has increased. This system worked until 1985.

The economist John Maynard Keynes in the early XX century, predicted that by 2030, only the most dedicated people will work more than 15 hours a week.

But, as noted in Quartz online journal, Keynes declared about this at about the same time that Ford has made the 40-hour workweek labor standards.

Maybe, while the number of working hours, it was still important for the performance. Now the situation is gradually changing, and it is connected with the specifics of modern professions.

For a long time does not mean well

Now the economy increasingly dominated professions related to mental work. And it is not the principle on which, working 20% ​​longer, it can be 20% more. The same is true of creative professions.

There are more important psychology. For example, the employee performs the task much faster if you define it specific terms on the task.

Another shortcoming of long working hours - a negative impact on health. Hard work for long hours in the day undermines the health, which further threatens the loss of earning capacity and the cost of treatment.

However, so far we have not set the optimum number of working hours and working time. Perhaps the results of the experiment show in Sweden, it is necessary to really reduce the number of working hours, or better to leave things as they are.

And how do you feel about the reduction of working hours?