Name: Arif Raziq Abd Rani

Dateline: 31 October 2021

Source: CNBC
(https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/07/flexible-work-finlands-pm-sanna-marin-wants-citizens-on-a-four-
day-workweek.html )

Keeping It Short; For the Sustainability and Well-Being

Abstract:
Finland's newly-installed prime minister may soften the blow for her citizens with the prospect of
a condensed working week. Sanna Marin, 34, has previously proposed the entire country
working on a four-day workweek consisting of six-hour workdays. Marin believes people
deserve to spend more time with their families, loved ones, hobbies, and other aspects of life.
She said this could be the next step for working life. Specific details of Marin's proposal have
not been announced. But Finland has long advocated for flexible work schedules. In 1996, the
government introduced a law giving employees the right to shift their hours up to three hours
earlier or later than their employer's typical requirements. The Finnish leader is far from alone in
this stance. Sweden tested out the six-hour week in 2015. France has reduced its standard
working week to 35 hours from 39 hours in 2000.

Introduction
It is increasingly common to hear of "work/life balance" as a desirable thing. The central idea, of
course, is that people should be able to live their life outside of work. Ideally, their work time
should be separate from the rest of their life and shouldn't dominate their life. Lately, working
shorter hours are being discussed a lot in blogs and forums. The idea is that by reducing the
length of the working week, everyone has more time available to spend on things other than
work, while at the same time companies can reduce costs because they have to employ fewer
people. A four-day workweek could have enormous benefits for businesses and workers alike. It
is a scheme where normal working hours are reduced by 20% and everyone makes up their
hours by working 20% more each day. This scheme would also allow for easier commute and
less stress from never being off from work.

Boost Productivity
When employees are overworked, their productivity goes down because they're overtired and
stressed out. It becomes difficult to concentrate at work because their mind is distracted by
things like money, mortgage, health, mental and other issues. When employees are overtired
and stressed out, they have a harder time focusing on the job. This proved by a study
performed by the Sanford Business School of Harvard University shows that interns who work
longer hours are less productive than those working an average or normal weekly number of
hours. Switching to a four-day week increases productivity, when employees are forced to
eliminate unproductive activities such as sending pointless emails, sitting in lengthy meetings
and cyberloafing (messing around on the internet). In August last year, Microsoft Japan tested a
four-day week, and productivity rose 40%. Many organizations that have successfully switched
to a four-day week include Elektra Lighting, Think Productive and Portcullis Legals. This
statements also proved by survey made by several researches. In a study by Henley Business
School, 77% of workers said a four-day week improved their quality of life while in Gothenburg,
Sweden introduced a six-hour day for some nurses, the nurses became healthier, happier and
more energetic.

Good for Environment

Reducing the length of the working week could have an environmental benefit too. If we shorten
our working week from 5 to 4 days, employees don’t need to commute as much and large office
buildings are only in use four days a week. Workers produce less carbon emissions getting to
their jobs, use fewer resources at work, and have more time to cook and shop instead of relying
on take-away food delivered in plastic containers.

Conclusion
In conclusion, the four-day working schedule is great for a modern, busy society. It improves a
business's productivity and employee satisfaction. It also helps you maintain a good balance
between work and life. Overall, the four-day working week has beneficial for today’s working
society.