The Benefits of Shorter, Flexible Work Weeks
Stockholm, DolceLoca
Shorter work weeks aren’t just a dream; they’re already happening in places across Europe. Countries are exploring new schedules and flexible hours that fit real life. The approach changes from city to city and job to job, but the results surprise many. Here’s what’s happening when people rethink the Monday to Friday grind.
Sweden: The Six-Hour Day in Action
Sweden loves trying out fresh ideas about work. A few years back, some Swedish companies (especially in health care and tech) switched to six-hour workdays for their staff, while still paying for eight. Nurses in Gothenburg, for example, worked fewer hours but reported more energy, less stress, and fewer sick days. The companies saw a boost in morale with no dip in productivity.
Shifts in Sweden often start earlier or rotate so everyone gets shorter days, yet important work keeps going as normal. Many workers use the extra time for family walks, hobbies, or just a slower coffee break at home.
Iceland: Testing the Four-Day Week
Iceland took a big step and tried the four-day week on a wide scale. Between 2015 and 2019, government offices and some private companies dropped their weekly hours from about 40 to 35 or 36, often without cutting pay. The test group included office workers, day-care staff, tradespeople, and more.
The results? Workers said they saw less stress and an improved work-life balance. Managers liked having happier, more focused teams. Now, about 86% of Iceland’s workforce has either adopted shorter weeks or gained the right to request them. People spent more time with their families and felt more rested, but workplaces still hit their targets.
Poland: Flexible Starts and Staggered Shifts
Poland hasn’t made sweeping changes, but small steps are happening. Some factories, banks, and offices in bigger cities now offer flexible start and end times. Parents can start at 7 AM and leave earlier, or arrive closer to 10 AM and stay later. Rotating schedules are common in retail and manufacturing.
While the official full-time week is still 40 hours, flexible options help people skip rush hour, manage school drop-offs, or care for parents. For many, these shifts are the first taste of real work-life balance—one that fits their needs, even in a tight labour market.
Italy: Bologna’s Co-operatives and Shops with a Twist
Bologna, often called Italy’s co-operative capital, puts people first at work. Local co-ops sometimes cut hours in exchange for slightly lower pay or profit-sharing. This community-centred model helps spread out hours while giving staff say in their schedules. It’s less top-down and more about working together, whether in education, services, or food.
In other Italian cities, especially among small shops, you’ll see another twist. Stores open earlier in the morning, pause for long mid-day lunch breaks, and stay open later into the evening. This pattern matches the rhythms of local daily life and the hot weather. It also lets shopkeepers rest, take care of errands, or share childcare with family.
Yet Bologna has a better economy than the rest of Italy, despite working less hours.
Flexible Schedules Fit All Kinds of Jobs
The stories from these countries show there’s no one-size-fits-all plan. Shorter or staggered weeks come in many shapes:
- Nurses and care workers who swap to shorter shifts
- Office employees who compress full-time work into four days
- Retail staff with early starts or later closes to suit the crowd
- Small business owners who break for lunch, then return refreshed
Whether it’s an early start, a shorter shift, or a long pause for family lunch, flexible schedules open new doors. People can live more and stress less, while work still gets done. Each country shapes these changes in its own way, but the direction is clear: shorter, more flexible weeks are more than just a trendy experiment.
Better Wellbeing and Balance
Shorter, more flexible work weeks are proving to be a breath of fresh air for many people. When working hours shrink and flexibility grows, life starts to feel less squeezed. People talk often about better health, more free time, and just having space to exhale.
Everyone says they want more time, but with long work weeks, most of that time vanishes. With shorter work weeks, families feel the difference right away. Parents pick up children from school, help with homework, or share meals without rushing.
Time with small children, in particular, makes a mark. Workers in Iceland reported they could attend school events or family outings, things that were nearly impossible before.
Hobbies and interests come out of hiding, too. People start painting again, join a sports league, or get through that stack of books. These activities do more than simply fill hours—they recharge people. Workers with fulfilling free time bring more energy and creativity back to the job.
Lower Stress, Better Sleep, and Less Burnout
Stress doesn’t just fade away on its own. When shifts grow shorter or weeks drop a day, stress starts to ease. People stop coming home exhausted every night. Studies from Sweden and Iceland found that workers slept better, took fewer sick days, and felt less overwhelmed even during busy seasons.
Burnout is a big word for what happens when work never lets up. With time to truly rest, people can unplug and recover. Weekends stretch out. You’re not just living for the weekend—you get real breaks to recharge, every single week.
Key improvements include:
- Fewer cases of burnout among staff
- Better sleep quality
- Lower rates of job-related anxiety and depression
- More consistent happiness at work and home
Fewer Sick Days and Less Turnover
Healthier workers don’t call in sick as often, and companies notice. After Sweden cut nurse shifts, paid sick leave went down by 10 percent. In Iceland, pilot programs saw similar patterns: less absenteeism, fewer short-notice callouts, and stronger teams. This also obviously saves the NHS money.
When people feel valued and energized, they stick around. Flexible schedules and extra time off make jobs more attractive, so people are less likely to look for new positions. Lower turnover leads to better teamwork and stronger workplace culture.
Higher Morale and Better Workplace Relationships
It’s tough to stay positive when every week feels like a sprint. Shorter and more flexible schedules press pause on that cycle. Workers report higher job satisfaction and a sense of being heard. Managers notice people talk more openly, plan together, and support each other.
When morale improves, work doesn’t just feel lighter. People are more willing to collaborate, share ideas, and go the extra mile for customers or clients. This shared mood can spread across teams and even into customers’ experiences.
More Freedom to Give Back and Connect
Extra time isn’t just for family or fun. Some workers use their added hours to help their communities, volunteer, or support local events. In Bologna, Italy, where co-operatives often trim work hours, it’s common to see people helping at food banks or joining neighbourhood clean-ups.
Flexible work also lets people reconnect in smaller ways: having coffee with a friend, checking on a neighbour, or joining a parent group. These moments build stronger communities and a wider sense of belonging.
What people do with their extra time:
- Volunteer at schools, parks, or charities
- Attend local events or classes
- Care for relatives or elderly neighbours
Productivity Jumps with Fewer Hours
You would think fewer hours would mean less work done. The opposite is true for most trials in Europe and beyond. The 4 Day Week Campaign worked with over 70 companies to test a four-day week for six months, keeping pay the same but reducing hours. The results: most businesses finished as much or more work. Over half said productivity went up.
Why is this happening? Tighter schedules leave less time to procrastinate, meetings get shorter, and people plan their days better. When the workday ends sooner, workers keep a sharper focus and bring fresh energy to each task.
Some real wins from recent trials:
- 92% of firms kept the four-day week after their pilot ended
- More than half reported higher productivity
- Companies saved money from fewer absences and reduced staff sickness.
Lower Carbon Footprint and Cost Savings
Work isn’t just about people. Where and how we work shapes our planet. Fewer workdays mean fewer commutes, less office electricity, and lighter use of heat and air conditioning. If everyone worked one less day, it could cut the country’s total carbon footprint by up to 20%.
Workers use less petrol, spend fewer long days indoors, and rely less on single-use lunches or extra printing. Even small savings, spread across millions of workers, add up.
At the business level, companies save on:
- Lower utility bills
- Less wear and tear on buildings
- Smaller snack and coffee budgets
Moving Beyond the 9 to 5
The old full-time grind was built for an era when one person usually worked and the other handled home life. That setup does not exist for most families now. More households need both adults earning, and care needs have changed.
Children, ageing parents, and personal health can all pull people away from a rigid schedule. Commuting has also become longer for many. Arriving at an office at the same time every day just is not practical.
People in healthcare, retail, food service, and countless other fields cannot always follow classic hours. Some jobs run overnight, on weekends, or in waves based on customer needs. The same nine hours do not serve everyone. This mismatch leads to tension, stress, and missed chances for both workers and employers.
While flexibility sounds great, not every job can switch overnight. Each field brings its own hurdles when adjusting hours. For example:
- Healthcare: Patients need care around the clock. Shorter or mixed shifts call for careful planning so coverage stays strong.
- Retail and hospitality: Customer demand changes by hour and day. Managers need ways to stagger shifts so no one burns out but stores stay staffed.
- Manufacturing: Equipment and production times can set limits. Teams may need to rotate shorter shifts or share setups.
- Offices: Many jobs can go remote or flex, but teamwork and meetings still require overlap during the day.
Letting people pick start and end times works in some places, while job sharing or shift swaps fit others. What matters is giving people more control and trust. Still, it takes effort to juggle payroll, coverage, and teamwork across these changes.
Rethinking What a Working Week Could Be
It is a good time to ask: What does “full-time” even mean now? Could your company try a six-hour day? Do shifts need to be eight hours, or could five or four suit your team better? Are there days when some staff work from home? What hours do customers really need service?
Shorter and more flexible weeks are not just buzzwords. They are real efforts to match work with the way people actually live. If you want a happier, more loyal team, consider shifting the old boundaries. Now is the moment for families, businesses, and communities to imagine a new normal for work. Would a fresh schedule help you, your team, or your neighbours? The answers might surprise you.
Cambridgeshire has become the first council to implement a four-day working week for staff, following a successful trial. It also saved £333,000 in paying agency staff to cover sickness from burned-out employees. And these savings could then obviously be passed on to residents.
Interested? Buy The 4 Day Week Handbook, the ideal read for employers who wish to make a difference.
