It was two years ago, when the news that in Sweden they would pilot the six-hour work, made the rounds of the world through the international media.
Nurses at a nursing home in Gothenburg were among the first to start the six-hour trial, followed by hospitals, public services and private companies.
The spotlight fell mainly on Gothenburg's Svartedalens nursing home as independent researchers studied the effects of change on employees, while conducting comparative studies with nurses at a similar center who, however, continued to work the "traditional" eight hours.
Six-hour shifts with the same salary
The experiment in the nursing home was to last until the end of 2016, as it did. The shifts lasted six hours, while the employees maintained the same salary. The test results are evaluated as extremely important both due to the publicity of the whole experiment, and for efforts that could be attempted in the future.
The first problem that seems to exist with the six-hour pilot test in Gothenburg is είναι the return to the eight-hour nurses, since the program ended at the end of last year.
"I feel more tired than I used to. During the test application all the staff had more energy. He saw that everyone was happy, "said Emilie Telander, a 26-year-old assistant nurse, speaking to the BBC's Maddy Savage. After 23 months in a six-hour shift, Emilie and about 6 of her colleagues had to return to the eight-hour shift.
Less sick leave and higher productivity
The data from the experiment that have already been published, since the official report is expected to be completed next month, seem to confirm the claims of Emilie Telander.
During the first 18 months of the six-hour period, fewer sick leave was recorded, improved employee health reports and higher productivity with 85% more activities for the elderly, such as nature walks. In particular, the reduction of sick leave reached 10%, which means a reduction in the cost of covering the leave for the institution.
On the contrary, however, and as one would expect, the two remaining working hours in the institution resulting from the six-hour period had to be somehow covered. Thus, the nursing home proceeded to hire 17 employees, giving a good argument to those who expressed concerns if the cost of the project would outweigh its benefits.
Center-right politicians in the city council last May called for an early end to the program, arguing that it was not right for taxpayers to invest money in a pilot project that was not economically viable. Eventually, even at the last minute, the program was saved.
Additional cost of 1,2 million euros
The recruitment of additional staff, of course, resulted in an additional annual cost of around € 1,2 million. According to Daniel Bernmar, a Left Party councilor in charge of care for the elderly in Gothenburg, 10% of the extra costs are offset by falling unemployment.
Bernmar argues in favor of the program and categorically denies reports of failure. "The cost of the test for public finances was actually half what we expected," he told the Guardian, although he acknowledged that it could not be applied to the entire municipal authority.
"High costs for a general reduction in working hours"
"Could we do it in the whole municipality? The answer is no, it would be very expensive, "he told the BBC, adding:" It is very expensive to make a general reduction in working hours within a reasonable time. He was quick to point out that he personally believes in reducing working hours in the long run, adding that "the richer we become, the more we have to take advantage of this wealth in other ways than a new car or a higher consumption."
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After all, the Gothenburg pilot program "puts on the agenda the reduction of the working day for all of Sweden and Europe, which is wonderful," he says.
Another nursing home nurse would probably agree: "I was exhausted all the time. I would return home from work and spend it on the couch. I am not now. I am more slender, I have more energy for my work and also for my personal life ", said 41-year-old Lise-Lotte Pettersson.
"Six-hour work does not fit in the business world"
The six-hour work program is planned to be tested in other workplaces in Sweden. At the same time, however, there are voices questioning the usefulness of such a measure.
"I honestly do not think six-hour work fits into the business world or the universe of a start-up," Erik Gatenholm, general manager of a bio-ink company, told the BBC. As he explained, he tried the method after learning about it through Facebook, hoping that it would be effective. The results were rather discouraging and the experiment here was stopped in a month, after the response of the employees.
"I thought it would be really fun, but it was kind of stressful," explains one employee, Gabriel Peres. "It's a process and it takes time and when it doesn't have that much time, it reminds a bit of not doing your homework for school."
"More effective six-hour work in places like hospitals"
The views of Gabriel Peres seem to be shared by Dr. Aram Seddigh, who recently completed his PhD at the Stress Research Institute at Stockholm University.
"I believe that six-hour work would be much more effective in organizations, such as hospitals, where you work for 6 hours and then just leave and go home. "It would probably be less effective in organizations where the boundaries between work and personal life are not so clear."
"This kind of solution could even increase stress levels, as employees may try to fit in all the work they would normally do in 8 hours, within 6 - or if they were clerks they could get a job. at home ", he adds.
For the record, it is worth noting that data over the years show that the average length of working days has decreased in Sweden, although so far there are no plans to introduce the six-hour national level. Of course, there are companies in the country that have long implemented part-time work, such as Toyota, which made the change 13 years ago and since then the reports speak of happier employees and increased profits.
Source: Newsbeast.gr