Finland recently appointed Sanna Marin as their Prime Minister and she’s now the world’s youngest serving PM. Can you imagine that at only 34, she is leading an entire country and is already making some groundbreaking proposals?
As we drag our selves back to work after enjoying the holiday season, Finland’s prime minister has taken it upon herself to soften the blow for her citizens with the prospect of shortening the workweek and daily working hours. She has proposed a four-day working week and one consisting of six-hour shifts in a bid to transition the country to what she called “the next step for us in working life.”
Talking about her revolutionary proposal, Marin said, “I believe people deserve to spend more time with their families, loved ones, hobbies and other aspects of life, such as culture. This could be the next step for us in working life.”
She herself is a mother and the four other parties in her coalition are all headed by young women with children. Talk about girl power!
However, the specifications of the proposal are yet to be announced.
Some criticised the PM for her ‘feminine’ stance on governance. To this, she replied saying, “It is important to allow Finnish citizens to work less. It is not a question of governing with a feminine style but offering help and keeping promises to voters.”
Currently, the normal work schedule for most Finnish citizens is eight hours a day and five days a week. In the neighbouring country, Sweden, a six-hour workday has already been implemented since 2015, and has shown early signs of success, with workers reporting higher wages, productivity and mental health.
Microsoft Japan even gave its employees three day weekends during the summer, only to find that sales jumped a massive 40 percent as a result.
I’m lowkey hoping that my boss reads this article and we can start implementing this in India as well. It’s not me saying it, it’s science–we’ll be more productive!
