McMaster University Professor examining the feasibility of 6 hour work days in Canada

An Associate Professor at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario is looking into the possibilities of a 6-hour workday coming to Canada.

This model has in place for the last 15 years in countries like Sweden, and Marvin Ryder says this system has one major difference.

“The key is in that 6 hours you are only doing company work. They are not letting you do personal phone calls, emails, playing with Facebook or other activities and even in a 7 hour work day in Canada I don’t think we’re getting all that time devoted to the company.”

Ryder explains the results we are seeing in Sweden from the 6-hour model.

“Their argument is if I get 6 productive hours rather than 7 unproductive hours I am actually further ahead and it has shown people feel better about the workplace, their attitudes have improved with lower sick time and less stress on the job.”

Ryder believes this model could work for larger companies like banks who could employ two sets of workers and still offer a full-service day.

For example, the first group would work from 8-2 while the others are on the job from 11-6.

While this system might work for some in Canada, other sectors may run into problems.

“Where this starts to break down is when you have hourly work. Today its quite possible for those with hourly pay to work a 6-hour day except they want to be paid for 8 hours. In the retail sector, they’re are very few salary employees so if people want to work less that is fine but they would get paid less in retail.”

Another difference is the cultural philosophy between Northern Europe and Canada when it comes to the workplace.

“It is in true in countries like Sweden, Finland, and Denmark, the culture seems to be more embracing the collective instead of the individual, so in other words we will all pull together for the collective good where in Canada and the United States it’s a little more individualistic.”