The vast majority work 7.5 hours a day. But things are different at Lillo Gård Kindergarten. For a year, the working day there has been six hours long, but the pay is the same as before. One of the aims of the trial project is to find out whether people can stay longer at work if the day is shorter. Avoid people getting sick and retiring early. Norway has a high rate of sickness absence – significantly higher than in our neighboring countries Sweden and Denmark. At the same time, the politicians have recently decided that we will work even longer. Some people think it’s time to look at how much we work. The tough jobs And two municipal kindergartens – Lillo Gård in Oslo and Gullfaks in Stavanger – have done just that. Both now have a working week of 30 hours. To make it happen, the municipalities have injected NOK 10 million each for extra staffing and research. In Lillo Gård, four new positions had to be created. A record number of applicants. – We are extremely lucky and privileged to be allowed to test this out. When the staff found out, there were many hugs, says nursery manager Ada Sexe-Lysvik. DREAM: Ada Sexe-Lysvik says that it felt unreal when they were told that they had been selected for the project. Photo: Ingrid Uleberg / news That this is being tested in a kindergarten is not without reason. Sick leave for health and social services is actually far higher than for all other jobs, figures from Statistics Norway show. And at the top of the absence peak are health professionals, activists and children and youth workers. Many give up these jobs long before retirement age. Some become disabled, others change professions. This is the project: Lillo Gård is one of two municipal kindergartens in Norway that is involved in the two-year project. In Oslo they are trying out a six-hour working day, while in Stavanger they are trying out a four-day working week. In both locations, the employees work 30 hours a week. The aim of the trial project is to improve the quality of the offer for the children in the nursery, a better psychosocial working environment for the employees, and to find out what the financial consequences are of reduced working hours. It is the politicians who have chosen to test the six-hour working day in kindergartens. The project costs the municipality NOK 10 million. This goes to both additional staffing and follow-up research. The project manager is Line Bjørnskau Brandt, and the project started in the autumn of 2023. Couldn’t take it anymore One year ago, Carl was on his way into these statistics. After 15 years in the job, the passion was still there, but the body had taken a beating. Some days he struggled to cook dinner, couldn’t bear to meet friends. Slowly but surely, he felt that life outside of work was creeping in. – It is a heavy job. I am only 34 years old, but I have already started to get old in the nursery profession. TOO MUCH: Carl Ophus Sønsterud says that the job is rewarding, but not worth it without some privacy and free time. Photo: Ingrid Uleberg / news He was ready to find a new job. But then the job advertisement for Lillo Gård kindergarten appeared. One year after the start-up, the employees can talk about a new everyday life. More time for the rest of my life The job is pretty much the same as before, but: – I have a lot more energy, more endurance and the fuse is much longer, says Carl. And in the meeting with the children, he is more patient and straightforward. But the biggest change has happened at home. – Now I come up with more things outside of work. I have found my way back to old hobbies that I didn’t feel I had time for before. MIKS: The working days in kindergarten are varied and fun according to Carl, but both physically and mentally taxing. REQUIREMENTS: The staff must be present and awake with the children. The game is best if they have the energy to be creative. CONTACT: The job is not only about having good contact with the children, but also communication with the other staff and the parents. He still gets sick – after all, nurseries are playgrounds for viruses and bacteria. – But it is easier to come to work when we are a little sick, because the day is not so long. However, the kindergarten manager says that they do not see any clear decrease in sickness absence. She thinks you have to look at it over a longer period of time. Do you want a shorter working day? Yes, that would be great, as long as the pay is the same! 💸 No thanks, would lead to overtime and working from home to get away from work. 🤯 Not for myself, but I think others who have heavy jobs should have the opportunity. 🙌 Never, I want to work more than 7.5 hours! 📈 Show result Not suitable for everyone She sees the biggest changes in the employees’ general health and quality of life. – Some say they sleep better. Many say that they have more energy at the end of the day, says Ada Sexe-Lysvik. Energy to stand in conflicts with children, follow them up more closely and surplus in everyday life. And the atmosphere, or the working environment, is more positive. But it hasn’t been easy for everyone. – There are also employees who think it is stressful. They feel that they should cover as much as before but in a shorter time. And some people miss having more time with their children, she says. Carl’s hope is to continue with the six-hour day – and that more people get to try. – Everyone who works with care should be given the opportunity. But this is easier said than done. SURPLUS: The employees at Lillo farm have made more profit and do more in their spare time, says the nursery manager. Photo: Ingrid Uleberg / news In the fight against illness Because if people work shorter hours, you often need more employees. And if there is something that is in short supply in health and social services, it is working hands. Especially if we look forward in time. We will actually need 180,000 more employees in the healthcare system alone until 2060. And man-years cost money. The question then is whether the final sum is minus or plus for society at large? – This is really impossible to say for sure until you have tried it for a while, says Kristin Alsos, who works as a researcher. Kristin Alsos is a researcher at Fafo, with a major in pay settlements, working hours and collective agreements. Photo: Fafo Financially, it will pay off if sickness absence goes down. But most trials with reduced working hours have been over a short period of time and show no clear decrease. And the costs have been too great. – There are some exceptions where a four-day week has been tried, for example in Iceland and in Great Britain. You can read more about these below: Future working life Can workers in Norway expect shorter working days in the near future? According to Fafo researcher Kristin Alsos, this is unlikely. At least in government jobs. – None of the major parties are fighting for this. And NHO and LO are both critical, she says. Only the parties SV, Rødt and MDG have a six-hour working day in their party programmes. PERSISTENCE: Kindergartens in Norway desperately need more staff, but few last until retirement age. Carl is unsure whether he can manage another 30 years. Photo: Ingrid Uleberg / news But it is the Trade Union Confederation that has fought the most for six-hour days, says Alsos. Many of their members work in professions that are demanding, both physically and mentally. – There are many opposing forces who believe that reduced working hours are not the solution, says Helene Harsvik Skeibrok, deputy leader of the Trade Union. – But then you have to ask yourself the question whether people will choose these jobs at all when it is as demanding as it is. The trade union The trade union wants fewer working hours The trade union has decided that they will work for a reform with a reduction in working hours. – A six-hour working day is part of that, but not the only option, says Helene Harsvik Skeibrok, deputy chairperson of the Trade Union. This is what they particularly want for those with heavy workloads. For example, nurses, nursery staff and cleaners. – In these professions, we see that many are unable to work until the normal retirement age. Is it worth it? – Our members say they want to work part-time because the workload is too great. It shows that these are professions where people get tired at a far too young age, says Skeibrok. – But will it pay off, financially speaking? – We don’t know, but it’s not just about the costs now. It may turn out that this leads to people retiring later, but also to keeping employees in the professions today. And that they get better health. – Not least with regard to recruiting new employees. And hopefully also that it will provide better offers for users of the services. Believing in a reduction in sickness absence, the trade unions are open to several solutions, for example reducing working hours, increasing staffing, providing full positions. The most important thing for the organization is an easier working day. – Fewer hours at work will lead to less workload and therefore we believe it will result in less sickness absence. You will also be able to handle that load better over a longer period of time. – At the same time, we know that there are many things that affect sickness absence. In a year’s time, the hour counter will at least be turned up again in Lillo Gård. Carl is terrified and is unsure whether he wants to continue in the profession. – I have to feel what the body can tolerate, he says. It was Fagbladet that first wrote about Sønsterud and the kindergarten. Published 08.10.2024, at 05.24 Updated 08.10.2024, at 06.34
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Kindergarten in Oslo is testing a six-hour working day – Greater Oslo
