When I was young, there was nothing so bad as being asked to work. Now I find it hard to conjure up that feeling, but I see it in my five-year-old daughter. “Can I please have some water, daddy?”

It may be ingrained in American culture to work long hours but some Swedish companies are voluntarily switching to six-hour workdays. Benefits they list include more focus during work hours, productivity on par with eight-hour days, and the …