A six-hour workday experiment in Sweden has been abandoned after findings revealed that the costs outweigh the benefits.

However, despite the hefty price tag, many workers at one retirement home in the Swedish city of Gothenberg said the benefits of the trials were considerable.

Nurses at the Svartedalens home, in February 2015, switched from an eight-hour to a six-hour working day for the same wage.

During the two-year experiment, employees reported feeling happier and healthier thereby reducing the number of sick leaves they took by 10 per cent.

Meanwhile, there were also improvements in patients care as workers started to spend more of their reduced working hours on “social activity” with their patients.

Monica Axhede, Director of the Svartedalens Nursing Home, told Euronews: “The atmosphere is more relaxed. We have many people here who suffer from dementia. Before when there was too much stress around, it made them very nervous. Now they are clearly more peaceful.”

“In addition we hired more staff, we created jobs. And we have a lot less sick leave.”

Despite shorter workdays, happier and more productive staff, preliminary results concluded that it also cost the home around 12m kronor (over £1m), because they had to hire in 17 extra staff for the duration of the project.

As result, the city decided it will not push ahead to make the plan permanent.

“It's associated with higher costs, absolutely,” said Daniel Bernmar, a local left-wing politician who has been a leading advocate of the six-hour working day and is responsible for elderly care.

The top 10 happiest countries in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 The top 10 happiest countries in pictures The top 10 happiest countries in pictures 1. Costa Rica Women perform during the Light Festival Parade in San Jose, 15 December 2007, as part of the Christmas festivities. Thousands of people attended this festival to start the Chistmas in this country. AFP PHOTO/Yuri CORTEZ (Photo credit should read YURI CORTEZ/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images The top 10 happiest countries in pictures 2. Mexico People play on the beach during Holy Week in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco state, Mexico on March 21, 2016. AFP PHOTO/HECTOR GUERRERO / AFP / HECTOR GUERRERO (Photo credit should read HECTOR GUERRERO/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images The top 10 happiest countries in pictures 3. Colombia A paraglider flies over Medellin during the National Urban Paragliding championship, on October 11, 2014. AFP PHOTO / Raul ARBOLEDA (Photo credit should read RAUL ARBOLEDA/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images The top 10 happiest countries in pictures 4. Vanuatu Tourists take a scenic flight in a helicopter over Vila Bay on August 2, 2010. The Melanesian archipelago of Vanuatu has seen a large influx of holiday makers who prefer to avoid the political turmoil of Fiji. AFP PHOTO / Torsten BLACKWOOD (Photo credit should read TORSTEN BLACKWOOD/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images The top 10 happiest countries in pictures 5. Vietnam TOPSHOT - A vendor sells vegetables along a street in downtown Hanoi on February 4, 2016 as Vietnamese prepare to celebrate the Lunar New Year, or Tet. Vietnamese will mark the Lunar New Year, this year the Year of the Monkey in the Chinese Zodiac, along with many countries in east Asia, on February 8. AFP PHOTO / HOANG DINH Nam / AFP / HOANG DINH NAM (Photo credit should read HOANG DINH NAM/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images The top 10 happiest countries in pictures 6. Panama A tourist takes pictures in Panama City on April 4, 2016. A massive leak -coming from Mossack Fonseca- of 11.5 million tax documents on Sunday exposed the secret offshore dealings of aides to Russian president Vladimir Putin, world leaders and celebrities including Barcelona forward Lionel Messi. An investigation into the documents by more than 100 media groups, described as one of the largest such probes in history, revealed the hidden offshore dealings in the assets of around 140 political figures -- including 12 current or former heads of states. AFP PHOTO/ Rodrigo ARANGUA / AFP / RODRIGO ARANGUA (Photo credit should read RODRIGO ARANGUA/AFP/Getty Images) Getty The top 10 happiest countries in pictures 7. Nicaragua A man walks in a field in Grecia 4, Chinandega, 150 km from Managua, with the San Cristobal volcano in the background on December 26, 2012. The San Cristobal volcano began spewing smoke and ashes Tuesday afternoon. AFP PHOTO / Hector RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images The top 10 happiest countries in pictures 8. Bangladesh Dhaka, BANGLADESH: Bangladeshi commuters walk through a heavy downpour of rain in Dhaka, 11 September 2006. Heavy monsoon rains brought relief for Bangladeshi farmers who have been struggling to irrigate their land after an unusually dry spell. AFP PHOTO/Farjana K. GODHULY (Photo credit should read FARJANA K. GODHULY/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images The top 10 happiest countries in pictures 9. Thailand Elephants eat platters of fruit during the elephant banquet to mark "National Elephant Day" in Ayutthaya province on March 13, 2014. National Elephant Day aims to raise public awareness about elephant conservation as the latest elephant census shows Thailands pachyderm population dropping to fewer than 5,000 countrywide. AFP PHOTO / PORNCHAI KITTIWONGSAKUL (Photo credit should read PORNCHAI KITTIWONGSAKUL/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images The top 10 happiest countries in pictures 10. Ecuador TOPSHOT - The Tungurahua volcano spews fumes and lava on February 27, 2016 in Huambalo, Ecuador, affecting neighboring parishes with ashfall. / AFP / Juan Cevallos (Photo credit should read JUAN CEVALLOS/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images

Despite the setback, Mr Bernmar is still supportive of the principle of decreased work hours.

“I personally believe in shorter working hours as a long-term solution,” he said.