{"id":663,"date":"2025-08-14T08:05:30","date_gmt":"2025-08-14T15:05:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/?p=663"},"modified":"2025-07-23T09:55:21","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T16:55:21","slug":"a-shorter-workweek-is-not-just-a-dream-its-good-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/?p=663","title":{"rendered":"A Shorter Workweek Is Not Just a Dream\u2014It\u2019s Good Business"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">From Iceland to Japan to forward-thinking companies here at home, the lesson is clear: <strong>when we give people back their time, we invite more creativity, better health, and, yes, even higher productivity.<\/strong> Yet most organizations still hold tight to the 40-hour standard, even as technology has made us vastly more efficient.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A Rare Opportunity\u2014Right Now<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We\u2019re standing at the threshold of another leap. Automation and AI could double or triple productivity\u2014again. The real question is: <strong>Who will benefit?<\/strong> Will we repeat the old pattern, letting all the gains flow upward, or will we use this window to make time itself the new measure of progress?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A shorter workweek isn\u2019t about losing ground\u2014it\u2019s about sharing what we\u2019ve gained, and building a more present, engaged, and resilient team for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are some gentle, practical ways forward:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Reinvesting efficiency gains.<\/strong> As productivity rises, reduce required work hours. Let everyone\u2014not just a select few\u2014share in the rewards.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Experimenting with new rhythms.<\/strong> Try small pilots: a four-day week, six-hour days, or wellness sabbaticals. Listen, learn, and notice what shifts\u2014for your people and your results.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Listening and iterating together.<\/strong> There is no universal template. Talk with your team about what a shorter week could look like, try it, see what works, and refine as you go.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Rethinking \u201cfull time.\u201d<\/strong> Time is a resource\u2014not just a cost. When you invest it with intention, you build happier, healthier, and more engaged teams.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why Time Matters Most<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Giving time back isn\u2019t just a nice perk. It\u2019s a message: <em>we see you, we value your whole life, and we know your best work flows from rest, health, and inspiration.<\/em> That promise is more powerful than any bonus\u2014and it\u2019s what keeps people energized, loyal, and invested in the mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A Gentle Invitation to Leaders<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you want to attract and keep great people, now is the time to experiment. The evidence is growing. The risk is lower than ever. What matters most is simply being willing to try\u2014and to share what you learn with others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In my upcoming book, I share detailed stories and practical guides for making the shorter workweek a reality. Stay tuned for those insights, and for more concrete advice in the next post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Please share your thoughts in the comments, and subscribe if you\u2019d like to stay updated on new posts and news about the book.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Book Announcement<\/strong><br><em>Look for my new book later this year\u2014a practical and heartfelt guide for leaders and teams ready to co-create more presence, shared success, and the gift of time.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Norwegian Translation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fra Island til Japan og til fremoverlente bedrifter her hjemme, er l\u00e6rdommen klar: <strong>N\u00e5r vi gir folk mer tid tilbake, f\u00e5r vi mer kreativitet, bedre helse og, ja, ogs\u00e5 h\u00f8yere produktivitet.<\/strong> Likevel klamrer de fleste organisasjoner seg fortsatt til 40-timers-standarden, selv om teknologien har gjort oss langt mer effektive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>En sjelden mulighet\u2014akkurat n\u00e5<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vi st\u00e5r foran et nytt sprang. Automatisering og kunstig intelligens kan nok en gang doble eller tredoble produktiviteten. Det egentlige sp\u00f8rsm\u00e5let er: <strong>Hvem vil h\u00f8ste gevinstene?<\/strong> Skal vi gjenta det gamle m\u00f8nsteret, hvor alt havner p\u00e5 toppen, eller skal vi bruke dette \u00f8yeblikket til \u00e5 gj\u00f8re tid til den nye m\u00e5leenheten for fremgang?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">En kortere arbeidsuke handler ikke om \u00e5 tape, men om \u00e5 dele det vi har vunnet, og \u00e5 bygge et mer tilstedev\u00e6rende, engasjert og robust team for fremtiden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Her er noen enkle, praktiske veier videre:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Reinvester effektiviseringsgevinstene.<\/strong> Etter hvert som produktiviteten stiger, reduser arbeidsmengden. La alle\u2014not bare noen f\u00e5\u2014ta del i fruktene.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Eksperimenter med nye rytmer.<\/strong> Pr\u00f8v sm\u00e5 piloter: fire-dagers uke, seks-timers dager, eller velv\u00e6resabbater. Lytt, l\u00e6r, og se hva som endrer seg\u2014b\u00e5de for folkene dine og for resultatene.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lytt og juster sammen.<\/strong> Det finnes ingen universell oppskrift. Snakk med teamet om hvordan en kortere uke kan se ut hos dere, pr\u00f8v det ut, se hva som fungerer, og juster underveis.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tenk nytt om \u201cfulltid\u201d.<\/strong> Tid er en ressurs\u2014not bare en kostnad. N\u00e5r du investerer den med hensikt, bygger du lykkeligere, friskere og mer engasjerte team.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Hvorfor tid betyr mest<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u00c5 gi tid tilbake er ikke bare en bonus. Det er et budskap: <em>Vi ser deg, vi verdsetter hele ditt liv, og vi vet at ditt beste arbeid kommer n\u00e5r du har hvile, helse og inspirasjon.<\/em> Dette l\u00f8ftet er kraftigere enn noen bonus\u2014og det er det som holder folk energiske, lojale og investert i oppdraget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>En vennlig invitasjon til ledere<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vil du tiltrekke deg og beholde gode folk, er dette tiden for \u00e5 eksperimentere. Dokumentasjonen vokser. Risikoen er mindre enn f\u00f8r. Det viktigste er rett og slett viljen til \u00e5 pr\u00f8ve\u2014og \u00e5 dele det du l\u00e6rer med andre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I min kommende bok deler jeg detaljerte historier og praktiske veivisere for \u00e5 gj\u00f8re den kortere arbeidsuken til virkelighet. F\u00f8lg med for disse innsiktene, og for flere konkrete r\u00e5d i neste innlegg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Del gjerne dine tanker i kommentarfeltet, og abonner hvis du vil holde deg oppdatert p\u00e5 nye innlegg og nyheter om boken.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Boknyhet<\/strong><br><em>Se etter min nye bok senere i \u00e5r\u2014en praktisk og hjertevarm veiviser for ledere og team som \u00f8nsker \u00e5 samskape mer tilstedev\u00e6relse, delt fremgang, og tid som gave.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Giving time back isn\u2019t just a nice perk. It\u2019s a message: we see you, we value your whole life, and we know your best work flows from rest, health, and inspiration. That promise is more powerful than any bonus\u2014and it\u2019s what keeps people energized, loyal, and invested in the mission. <a href=\"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/?p=663\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">A Shorter Workweek Is Not Just a Dream\u2014It\u2019s Good Business<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":238892274,"featured_media":689,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[329724783,16750853,7885,769224191],"class_list":["post-663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-betterplaces","tag-bettertogether","tag-leadership","tag-tealorg"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/betterplaces.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/create-a-featured-image-for-a-blog-post-titled-a.png?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pf3Jag-aH","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/663","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/238892274"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=663"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/663\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":690,"href":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/663\/revisions\/690"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/689"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}