Q & A

Could this really happen?

On the face of it, the answer is yes.

"Finland to introduce a four-day working week and SIX-HOUR days under plans drawn up by 34-year-old prime minister Sanna Marin," proclaimed the Daily Mail. The Guardian told readers Marin had made a "promise" to her people. The news was soon all the way round the globe, right to the very tip of Australia.

The truth, as ever, is somewhat more complex.

Marin did indeed propose a three-day weekend - but that was in August before she became PM. For now, it remains an idea, but not yet strictly government policySet of ideas or plan of action..

So, why such excitement? In 2018, 94% of US and UK workers said they suffered from stress. Supporters of the four-day week say there is gathering evidence that working less will make us happier.

The idea hit the headlines when the UK Labour PartyThe main left-wing political party in the UK. pledged to cut the working week to 32 hours, "with no loss of pay, funded by productivity increases" in their 2019 manifestoA statement published by a person or group of people, especially a political party, or a government, in which they say what their aims and policies are..

In August 2019, Microsoft Japan gave its 2,300 employees Fridays off. The results were astonishing. Workers seemed happier, and productivity increased by 40%. Enthusiasts say experiments like this prove the four-day week is more than just a fantasy.

The environment benefits from employees driving less and cutting their carbon footprintThe total amount of greenhouse gases (including carbon dioxide and methane) that are generated by our actions. China is the top emitter with 28% of the world's total emissions. The US is second with 14%.. At Microsoft Japan, electricity use fell by 23%.

So, why do we still work five days?

In 1930, economist John Maynard KeynesOne of the most influential economists of the 20th Century, best known for his Keynesian economic theories on the causes of unemployment. predicted that his grandchildren would only work for 15 hours a week. He was wrong.

There are practical concerns - the Swedish city of Gothenburg's six-hour day trial ended with worries about the project's costs. Cutting hours increases the pressure to get more done in less time.

Critics such as MEPMember of the European Parliament. Daniel Hannan say working less would not make us happier anyway. Many people enjoy their job, and most would rather work longer to afford luxuries.

The Chinese billionaire and co-founder of the online shopping giant Alibaba, Jack Ma, believes that a 9:00am to 9:00pm working day, and a six-day week ("996 system") is a "blessing", and that people love to work hard.

So, would a four-day working week really make us happier?

Yes, say some. The benefits are obvious. A four-day week would mean more leisure time. Men and women could finally have equal time for childcare: workplace gender inequality could be eliminated. There is no need for compromise - increases in productivity mean it is possible to work less for the same wage. Now is the right time to overhaul the five-day working week.

No, say others. Few radical ideas are 100% problem-free. Not everyone is the same. Some people love their jobs, or prefer to work more to afford life's luxuries. The government should not decide how long we can work. Having less time to complete work causes - not cuts - stress. It is naive to think that all businesses can cut hours without cutting pay. Happiness is about more than just free time.

What do we know? When the then Finnish transport and communications minister tweeted that "shorter working hours can and should be discussed" last August, it received limited attention. However, when Marin became PM in December, there was renewed interest in her beliefs. The story quickly spread across media platforms, culminating with its appearance on MailOnline, one of the world's most popular news websites.

What do we not know? Whether Sanna Marin will make her idea a reality. Only a few organisations, such as Microsoft Japan or Perpetual Guardian in New Zealand, have experimented with the four-day week. Few make permanent changes. At the moment, many of the advantages (like reducing gender inequality and environmental damage) remain assumptions, not facts. With Marin seeming to backtrack on her comments, we do not know if the four-day week plan will grow and become more mainstream, or simply fizzle out.