Businesses across Sweden are making the change as a way to increase productivity and make people happier.

The change is already getting positive reviews, with many employers saying productivity has increased at their organisations.

It makes sense that Australia should look to the country for inspiration.

I'm not saying we should do exactly the same thing - economically, Tasmania is not ready for that - but we should at least have a discussion about it for the sake of our health and our children.

Too often we hear how important it is to have a work-life balance and the statistics prove too much work is bad for us.

A recent study of more than 600,000 men and women from Europe, the US and Australia, published in The Lancet, found that people working 55 hours a week had a 33 per cent greater risk of having a stroke, than people who worked a standard 35 to 40-hour week.

Yet, getting a work-life balance it is often hard to maintain.

How many times this week have you used the "I don't have time" excuse?

Whether it is for the gym, the house work or just catching up with friends and family?

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has used it at least half a dozen times.

Another study by Medibank earlier this year, found 38 per cent of Tasmanians didn't go to the gym because they didn't have "time".

Maybe if we took Sweden's approach and shortened work days, we could stop using "time" as an excuse for not staying healthy.

We could get that 30 minutes a day exercise that is needed, which would ease pressure on our hospitals.

Shorter work days would also give parents more time to invest in their children, whether it is helping them with education or just spending time with them.

So not only could we have a healthier population, we could also improve our children's education attainment.

It is clear, shorter working days are a long way off in Australia - if anything, they are getting longer - but it is at least worth having a discussion about it.