Work in the digital age: More flexible and often without limits

Some firms have shown that productivity has not been affected by working fewer hours

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin's suggestion that the working week should be reduced from five to four days has sent European media went into overdrive.
Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin's suggestion that the working week should be reduced from five to four days has sent European media went into overdrive. PHOTO: REUTERS
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Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin recently struck a nerve when she suggested that the working week should be reduced from five to four days. European media went into overdrive, discussing if such a move was practical.

Reducing long working hours has been at the core of trade union activity on the continent. Most Europeans now work 40 hours a week on average, a far cry from the backbreaking 70 hours of the 19th century. Yet, in the age of digitisation and a rise in home-office work, the topic has returned to centre stage.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on January 21, 2020, with the headline Work in the digital age: More flexible and often without limits. Subscribe