
Sweden's Six-Hour Workday Experiment Officially Kicks Off Tomorrow - sampo
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/235283
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fekberg
It's been delayed.

Source:
[http://www.gp.se/nyheter/goteborg/1.2423446-sextimmarsdagar-...](http://www.gp.se/nyheter/goteborg/1.2423446-sextimmarsdagar-
skjuts-pa-framtiden)

Translated using Google Translate:
[https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=sv&tl=en&js=y&prev...](https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=sv&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gp.se%2Fnyheter%2Fgoteborg%2F1.2423446-sextimmarsdagar-
skjuts-pa-framtiden&edit-text=)

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PerfectElement
I don't see how this can be a valid scientific experiment if the control group
is aware of their colleagues working 2 hours less and getting the same salary.
How can this not affect the results?

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sp332
Double-blind is neither necessary nor sufficient for a "valid" scientific
experiment. It just helps keep the variables down.

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notahacker
Sure, but this whiffs of cargo cult science. Given that the working
conditions, workload and motivation of the "control group" are all heavily
affected by the length of the work day of their colleagues in the other group,
the interaction effect actually multiplies the variables and the experimenters
would actually be more likely to make reliable inferences without it (i.e.
measuring 8 hour workday productivity and health indicators as a baseline
_prior_ to introducing the 6 hour work day)

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funkyy
I just hope that no matter the results they will publish report that will be
accessible.

I hate when interesting experiment starts and then if it fails researches do
not release reports and reasons it failed.

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ripb
It's interesting how every time this comes up we see Americans protesting how
it's the wrong approach to take.

It's ok guys, you're welcome to keep your third world working conditions, just
don't expect the rest of the progressive world to.

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Loughla
I've held several positions in America, from subsistence farmer to minimum
wage retail flunky to upper management in higher education. I've also been to
3rd world countries in South America.

None of the places I have worked were 3rd world working conditions including
the subsistence farming (we had much nicer/safer machinery). Granted it's a
small sample size, but still.

Anyway. Stop with the hyperbole. It's an ineffective argument tool, it's
insulting, and it shuts people off from debate.

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grecy
You're right, the parent was exaggerating. Let me fix it:

It's ok guys, you're welcome to keep your _Worst in the developed world_
working conditions, just don't expect the rest of the progressive world to.

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mcv
Half the city gets to work two hours per day less, but the other half has to
work the same hours as before? Sounds sucky for the people in the control
group.

Well, actually they get the same thing they always got, and if the experiment
goes well, they may get more free time later, but some of their lucky co-
workers get the extra free time right now.

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mempko
I have faced this attitude a lot in the US. "I suffer, so you must too!" It is
sad really.

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anon4
Around here it's "it doesn't matter if I suffer, as long as my neighbour
suffers more than I do". It's even a saying.

The experiment seems ripe for gaming though - just have the control group
gradually lose productivity (if needed) to be just below the test group, so it
seems like 30hrs/week is definitely better than 40hrs/week. Assuming they're
measuring productivity with some easy to game number, which I hope they
aren't.

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mcv
Yeah, gaming it seems unavoidable. It cannot be a blind study. You can't help
but notice how many hours you work, don't you?

You need a pretty long term experiment, so the 30 hour group gets the chance
to settle in their new rhythm, and you need a control group that doesn't know
they're the control group, presumably from a different city that happens to
have very similar productivity.

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vasilipupkin
A large part of many employees' day is spent chatting to others in the office
and browsing the web. My guess is compressing their day into 6 hrs will make
them more stressed out because they won't be able to relax at the office

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mbrock
Are you sure this kind of web browsing is really relaxing?

In my personal experience, office work involves a lot of pure time wasting,
time I'd rather spend doing other things than browsing reddit in my cubicle:
grocery shopping, being in the sun, exercising, reading, or anything else.

At the Gothenburg office I worked in, literally everyone I talked to about a 6
hour work week saw it as extremely desirable. I didn't ask the manager, and
she'd probably work more anyway, but I don't think she'd oppose it if it made
employees happier.

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coldcode
Social experiments in working are rare especially with control groups. It
would be interesting to see what happens.

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mkesper
s/would/will ?

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chrisBob
For those in the US that aren't aware: Swedish workers already get a lot more
time off, and seem to value it as part of the culture. I am collaborating with
a tech worker in Sweden and last week I got an email that ended with

"I will be going for vacation starting from today and I will be back on August
11. Hopefully you will be busy enough with the material I send you until I’m
back."

I am jealous because in the US, a decent summer vacation seems reserved for
students and teachers. I would much rather work somewhere that values free
time instead of the current american culture which often honors the person who
spends the most time in the office regardless of output.

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tabrischen
It's interesting how society unanimously view 'work' as a concept that is
undesirable and as something to be reduced.

Is a society where where people are actually passionate about what they do and
want to spend more time working because it increases their overall happiness
too unrealistic to strive for?

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staz
It's because you (not just you but the society in general) are mixing "wage
work" and "work"

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tabrischen
Why should there be an inherent different between the two?

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kleiba
I hope the people in the 30 hours work week are going to work their asses off
during the 1-year trial.

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m_eiman
I recently read that the start of the experiment had been postponed for a
while because they hadn't managed to find a suitable researcher to follow it.
Maybe they've found one now..?

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jinushaun
6 hrs? Man, that sounds horrible. I'd never get anything done. I'd rather have
4-10s. And extra two hours of maker time to offset all the bullshit meetings,
plus a real weekend.

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toomuchtodo
Wouldn't it be 4 8's? Why are we constrained to requiring 40 hours/week when
productivity has skyrocketed over the last 30 years?

Hours/week should be indexed to a productivity index, just as entitlements are
indexed to inflation/CPI.

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n09n
A lot of people like the feeling of progression. If, whenever I improve
somewhere, I have to cut back elsewhere to keep myself at the same overall
level of productivity, that just feels bad. I'd rather just get more work done
and get a raise.

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eckzow
I don't think the your parent was talking on an individual level, but a more
macroeconomic level where this appears to not be happening[1].

[1]
[http://www.winningwordsproject.com/assets/pages/340/producti...](http://www.winningwordsproject.com/assets/pages/340/productivityvscompensation.png)

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toomuchtodo
Correct. Thank you.

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stevewillows
It will be interesting to see how Parkinson's law plays out.

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JohnDoe365
What do you mean by that? Sure, the law will hold true, but actually for the
good.

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sliverstorm
I think your parent is wondering whether work will _shrink_ to fit the time
available.

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shitgoose
Comparing municipal workers productivity? You are kidding me?:) 8hrs * 0.01
vs. 6hrs * 0.01? That will solve the world problems!

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Shivetya
Let us be honest, if the same work can be accomplished in less time then it
suggest less people are needed that are currently employed.

The other issue here is that only in government could this suggestion float
because they really don't have to show a profit, answer to share holders.
Don't count to heavily on voters because if this does succeed; why wouldn't it
when they set the criteria; they can market it so that anyone opposed is
transformed into the guilty party.

It is also can cynically be viewed as a means to raise employment because if
the work goes unfinished with fewer hours then more people working those fewer
hours will be needed

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marvy
The point of the experiment is to see whether the work will get done faster.

