Finland’s new prime minister plans to introduce flexible working hours in the country, which will last four working days for six hours, according to the Daily Mail on Monday, January 6.
The 34-year-old Sanna Marin is the second youngest head of government in the world. She says this will allow workers to spend more time with their families. “I believe people deserve to spend more time with their families, loved ones, hobbies and other aspects of life such as culture.”
Prior to becoming prime minister, Sanna Marin held the post of Transport Minister of Finland. While in office, Marin advocated shorter working weeks to improve employee relationships and productivity.
Currently in Finland, it is normal to work eight hours a day, five days a week. The proposal was immediately enthusiastically received by Education Minister Li Andersson, leader of the Left Alliance.
“It is important to allow Finnish citizens to work less. It is not about governing with a feminine style, but about offering help and keeping promises to voters, ”said Sanna Marin.
This measure has been used in Sweden since 2015, with results showing that employees are happier, richer and more productive. Sanna Marin was elected in the Nordic country in December in a center-left coalition with four other parties, all headed by women, three of them under 35.
The council of the Finnish Social Democratic Party voted 32 to 29 in favor of Sanna Marin, to the detriment of rival Antti Lindtman, to take the highest post of the former Antti Rinne government.
In November, Microsoft in Japan took a bold initiative in an attempt to improve work-life balance by introducing a three-day weekend for its employees. The results showed that productivity increased by 39.9%.
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