Working 9 to 5, or? : A case study on the implementation of working time reduction from an organizational perspective

Reduced working hours is a well-debated subject, both politically as well as within business contexts. In this qualitative study we have chosen to research change in work processes when reduced working hours is implemented. The following research question was phrased: how can an organization change its work processes in order to increase productivity when implementing reduced working hours? In order to answer the question, we conducted a case study on a small, local recruiting and staffing company that has implemented a six-hour working day. All six members of the organization were interviewed and from the empirical material, we identified two main areas that have been of importance; organizational culture and communication. We have reached the conclusion that both a strong organizational culture and well-functioning communication, primarily internal, is necessary in order to successfully implement reduced working hours. We have also reached the following conclusions, which answers our research question; time spent on unnecessary, non-working related tasks, has to be eliminated; communication has to be conducted in a time efficient manner, preferably by using digital tools; meetings has to be audited and revised in order to make sure they are efficient