Why Sweden is moving to a six-hour working day

Managing Editor

October 1, 2015, 10:44 AM ET

<h1>Stockholm</h1> <strong>Sweden</strong> Stockholm has already produced Spotify and SoundCloud, and with nearly 700 high-tech companies located in its Kista neighborhood (Sweden's "Wireless Valley") the world can expect more tech innovations. The government spends on R&D (3.6% of GDP), and the country's world-class education system churns out a large pool of scientific publications and research. Intel, Symantec, and Oracle all have local offices, but lest you think Stockholm is studious and serious, please note that Angry Birds maker Rovio just opened a studio there. <strong>Good for</strong> <ul><li>Software</li> <li>R&D/inventions</li> <li>Business-friendly policies </li></ul>Photo: Ellen Rooney/Getty Images

Sweden’s bid to switch entirely to a six-hour work day appears to be gaining steam.

Many businesses in the country are having employees work fewer hours with the goal of becoming more productive. The move also comes in a bid to boost workers’ private time with family.

Toyota centers in the country apparently made the change 13 years ago. Last year, businesses in Stockholm also introduced a six-hour work day. In an interview with Fast Company, Linus Feldt, CEO of app developer Filimundus, said, “The eight-hour work day is not as effective as one would think.”

Feldt continued, “To stay focused on a specific work task for eight hours is a huge challenge. In order to cope, we mix in things and pauses to make the work day more endurable. At the same time, we are having it hard to manage our private life outside of work.”

Coins2Day previously wrote about a retirement home in Gothenburg which made the switch this year.

About the Author

By Benjamin SnyderManaging Editor

Benjamin Snyder is Coins2Day's managing editor, leading operations for the newsroom.

Prior to rejoining Coins2Day, he was a managing editor at Business Insider and has worked as an editor for Bloomberg, LinkedIn and CNBC, covering leadership stories, sports business, careers and business news. He started his career as a breaking news reporter at Coins2Day in 2014.

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