"From 2015 to 2019, #Iceland ran the world's largest trial of a shorter working week. An analysis of the results was finally published this week, and surprise! Everyone was happier, healthier, and more productive. Please pretend to be surprised."
mashable.com/article/iceland-f

🇮🇸 :blobaww:

"Workplaces tried out various time reduction strategies to accommodate the shorter work hours. These included delegating and prioritising tasks more effectively, having shorter and more focused meetings, and yes, letting meetings that could have been emails just be emails."

Uh-huh!

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And now the kicker:

"The trials' success has helped Iceland's trade unions negotiate for permanently reduced working hours since 2019, affecting tens of thousands of their members. The report states that around 86 percent of the country's entire workforce now either has shorter working hours, or the right to shorten their hours."

This, ladies and getlefolk, is why we need unions. :blobcatcoffee:

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So, let me re-phrase:

Government-run study, involving shortening the work week for government employees proves that productivity can be *gained* by shortening the work week.

Does business jump on that insight and clear opportunity to gain productivity *for free*, thus edging a competitive advantage on the market?

No. This happens only after unions get involved.

"Capitalism efficiently allocates resources" my arse.

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@rysiek (individual) businesses do not have to. An entrepreneur (eg could be anyone, even you) who gets an advantage will make supranormal profits in the short run. They can sell their product cheaper, and pay workers more. The business who didn't believe will have no workers and no customers and run out of money, then disappear.

Warning. The market works both ways, so if it turns out wrong, the businesses that follow it will run out of money and disappear instead.

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