Issue link: https://nest.uberflip.com/i/1318951
With flexible hours already commonplace in Scandinavia, thanks to policies encouraging both parents to participate in family life, many businesses are also giving employees the chance to work around their passions – including the great outdoors – more regularly. There are even tax breaks for firms that incentivize friluftsliv: firms in Sweden and Finland can subsidise employees' sports activities or equipment, while some Finnish businesses are starting to pay compensation to employees if they cycle or walk to work. But while all this implies that Scandinavia's obsession with friluftsliv is as deep-rooted as a Nordic forest, there are signs that things are starting to shift. Ibsen may have been able to clear his mind while out walking in the countryside but the aspect of friluftsliv that champions feeling "remote" feels less relevant in a region made up of the most digitally advanced economies in Europe. Fast broadband and widespread 3G or 4G mobile coverage ensure there's pretty much nowhere that phone calls, emails, or Slack notifications can't get through. Meanwhile globalisation means that growing numbers of Nordic companies need to stay in contact with colleagues and customers operating in different time zones. Sweden's largest union, Unionen, reports that while some embrace the freedom to work or check messages "wherever, whenever", rising numbers of members report feeling stressed as a result of being unable to unwind during weekends and holidays in the same way they did in the past. Ideas and philosophies are definitely changing for the younger generation, with a boom in the region's start-up scene has resulted in a new generation of entrepreneurs unsure when they are allowed to stop working. Ten thousand of our members are self-employed. They don't have anyone to talk to, to reason with, to realize when they are reaching the limit. Swedish data confirm that the amount of time young people are active outdoors has dipped slightly over the past three decades, with around 25% now spending time in the countryside or forest at least once a week, compared to 29% in the early 1980s. I n the end it all comes down to choices, especially at this most unusual of times. Keeping both mentally and physically fit is of the utmost. If you have time to watch Game of Thrones on Netflix, you also have time to be outdoors. Bundle up and open that front door to your own friluftsliv.