UPDATED: As workers across the globe hauled themselves back to the office for their first full week after the extended Christmas break, Finland’s newly-installed prime minister appeared to soften the blow for her citizens with the prospect of a condensed working week.

Sanna Marin, 34, had reportedly proposed putting the entire country on a four-day workweek consisting of six-hour workdays in a bid to transition the country to what she called “the next step for us in working life.”

"I believe people deserve to spend more time with their families, loved ones, hobbies and other aspects of life, such as culture," Marin is widely reported to have said.

"This could be the next step for us in working life."

Marin was elected in late 2019. Credit: Francisco Seco / AP

However, the story has since been denounced as fake news.

Nonetheless, Finland has long been an advocate of flexible work schedules.

In 1996, the government introduced a law that gave employees the right to shift their hours up to three hours earlier or later than their employers’ typical requirements.

In the video below: Finland's Sanna Marin wins parliament vote to become world's youngest PM

In 2015, neighbouring Sweden tested out the six-hour workweek in Gothenburg, finding it a boon to happiness levels but a burden on public coffers.

France, meanwhile, reduced its standard working week to 35 hours from 39 hours in 2000.

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The notion of a reduced workweek has support from the corporate world, too.

In November 2019, Microsoft Japan revealed that a trial four-day workweek had boosted productivity by 40%.

In 2018, a New Zealand firm dubbed its two-month trial of a four-day workweek a success in improving work-life balance.