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City in Sweden reduces workers 40 hour work week to 30

GOTENBURG, SWEDEN (WISH) – Officials in Gotenburg, Sweden are conducting a real-world experiment by trimming a 40 hour work week to 30.

The city government in Gotenburg said they noticed the towns nurses and doctors were burnt out.

In 2014, they started an experiment with one nursing facility. They turned nurses eight hour shifts to six and kept their pay the same.

“Since the 1990s, we have had more work and fewer people, we can’t do it any more. There is a lot of illness and depression among staff in the care sector because of exhaustion. The lack of balance between work and life is not good for anyone,” one nurse told the U.K.’s Guardian newspaper.

The city said it took a $1 million investment and hired 14 more people.

The results won’t be out until the end of 2016, but reports indicate the nurses are less fatigued and more efficient.

So far, the study has found productivity is a balance between quality and quantity.

If you currently work 40 hours or more a week, what would you do with your time if it was reduced to 30? Tell us on Facebook.