Finnish companies experiment with shorter working hours

A new report from the Finnish Confederation of Professionals (STTK) suggests that the way people work is evolving, with shorter hours emerging as a significant change. Taina Vallander, who leads STTK's social impact team, urges the conversation to shift from whether working hours should shorten, to how work itself is changing. The report examines four Finnish companies that have adopted various shortened work hours models.

Fingersoft, a game developer in Oulu, allows employees to work 80 percent of full-time hours, with around 25-30 percent of the staff opting in. Meanwhile, Kajo, a Tampere restaurant, has most employees working four days a week at full pay. Vehicle electronics company Sercap in Keminmaa has also implemented a four-day work week with full pay for all staff.

Helsinki's Third Rock consultancy offers employees Friday afternoons off without reducing their salaries, as CEO Leo Stranius believes Friday afternoons may be less productive.

The report proposes reducing the strain associated with night work, noting Norway's care workers who work fewer hours on night shifts but receive the same pay. Vallander also suggests testing shorter hours during demanding periods in employees' lives. Anna Kuokkanen, the STTK report's researcher, believes the model works best when employees and management can rethink work organization and maintain good communication and team spirit.

She emphasizes that a trial period of six months to a year is recommended, allowing employers to evaluate the results and decide on long-term implementation.