The '24-Hour Work Week': Here's What Happens When People Work Less

How many hours a week do you work? How many hours a week do you think you should work?

The prime minister of Finland, Sanna Marin, announced that she wants her entire country to experiment with shorter work hours—four days a week, and just six hours per day.

Call it the 24 Hour Work Week, with apologies to Tim Ferriss. (In the United States, we average 44 hours.)

“I believe people deserve to spend more time with their families, loved ones, hobbies and other aspects of life, such as culture,” Marin was quoted saying. “This could be the next step for us in working life.”

‘Special leave,’ they called it

Marin is 34, and the second-youngest head of state in the world. But this isn’t just a young person’s idea, and Finland isn't alone on this.

Sweden has been experimenting with a six-hour workday for several years. More recently, we heard that Microsoft gave its employees in Japan “special leave” every Friday in August. Sales went up 40 percent.

It sounds enticing, but risky.

Suppose an average…