Iceland welcomed the concept of ​​a four-day working week, and as a result the country’s economy is booming– CNN reported.

This decision helps Iceland get ahead of other countries since the shorter working week didn’t end in a lack of staff’ wages. Over 50% of the country’s workforce accepted the offer of shorter working hours in 2020-2022. However, two think tanks – the UK Autonomy Institute and the Icelandic Association for Sustainable Development and Democracy (Alda) – said the figure was higher than 2024. “This study shows a real success story: shorter working hours have become common in Iceland… and the economy is strong in many respects,” Alda researcher Gudmundur D. Haraldsson said in a statement.

In 2023, Iceland showed faster economic growth in comparison with most European countries – growth of 5% – a huge increase in comparison with 2% in 2006-2015. The unemployment rate was also among the many lowest in Europe, showing a “strong indicator of economic vitality.” The IMF’s World Economic Outlook report shows that the rate of interest stays stable at 3.4%, just over half the typical for advanced European economies. Interest rates are expected to rise to three.8% in 2024 and 2025.

Years earlier, between 2015 and 2019, two large studies were conducted by which public sector staff worked 35-36 hours a week without taking a pay cut. With 2,500 participants, representing over 1% of the country’s working population on the time, most had previously worked 40 hours a week. The goal was to take care of or increase productivity while improving work-life balance.

The data showed that productivity remained the identical or increased in most work environments, while worker well-being increased “dramatically” on several measures starting from stress and burnout to health and work-life balance.

According to Live Now Fox, researchers analyzed the outcomes of a labor market survey conducted by the Institute for Social Science Research on the University of Iceland within the hope of gaining insight into work patterns, the work environment and the explanation why people leave paid work. It found that 62% of people that worked short-time between 2022 and 2024 were more satisfied with their working hours, while only 4% of staff were more dissatisfied.

78% of respondents stated general satisfaction with the presented working time.

As a results of the trial, Icelandic trade unions negotiated reduced working hours for tens of hundreds of their members across the country.

The U.S. Department of State issued a “Level 3” travel advisory for Egypt on Tuesday due to the increased risk of terrorism that has hit the country.

The advisory warns tourists from the US (*3*)traveler to Egypt due to terrorism, in addition to the U.S. Embassy’s limited ability to assist U.S. and Egyptian residents who’re arrested or detained within the country. U.S. travelers have been specifically advised to avoid traveling to the northern and central Sinai Peninsula and the Western Desert due to the risk of terrorism, and to avoid traveling to Egyptian border areas because they’re energetic military zones.

“The U.S. Embassy may be limited in its ability to provide consular services to U.S.-Egyptian dual citizens,” he said. advisory reads. “Egyptian law recognizes dual citizens as Egyptian citizens.”

The advisory cited how “extremists continue to express interest in planning attacks in Egypt on religious sites, government institutions and diplomatic missions.”

Tourist areas are typically most vulnerable to terrorist attacks because terrorists goal steadily visited places resembling transportation hubs, markets, shopping malls, Western businesses, restaurants, resorts, and native government facilities.

“Although Egyptian authorities largely exercise effective security oversight, terrorists may attack with little or no warning and target specific targets,” the advisory reads. “Local law prohibits protesting and demonstrating without permission. The presence of anti-government protests nearby may attract the attention of Egyptian police and security forces. U.S. citizens were detained for participating in protests and posting on social media content perceived as critical of Egypt or its allies.”

Egypt is one of a very powerful attractions in Africa destinationsknown for the pyramids of Giza, one of the seven wonders of the traditional world. Visitors are also drawn to ancient monuments situated within the fertile Nile Valley, resembling the Great Sphinx, the hieroglyphic temple of Karnak in Luxor, and the tombs of the Valley of the Kings. In the capital, Cairo, you can find Ottoman monuments resembling the Muhammad Ali Mosque and the Egyptian Museum, which houses a powerful collection of antiquities.

For those continuing with travel plans to Egypt, the Department of State has issued a listing of precautions to take:

• Visit the DOS website regarding travel to high-risk areas.
• Keep your travel documents up to date and simply accessible.
• Make contingency plans for leaving the country that is not going to depend upon U.S. government assistance.
• Please check local regulations and conditions before traveling.
• Avoid demonstrations and crowds.
• Be vigilant in places frequented by Westerners.
• Get comprehensive medical insurance that covers medical evacuation.
• Enroll within the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive alerts and help locate you in an emergency.
• Follow the Department of State on Facebook and X/Twitter.
• Review the homeland security report for Egypt.
• Visit the CDC website for the most recent travel health information related to your trip.
• Prepare a contingency plan in case of emergencies. Review the Traveler’s Checklist.

Meet Tobi Oluwole, a former employee of a large technology company who spent ten weeks on vacation in 2022-2023 but officially reported only three weeks of leave.

Now a full-time entrepreneur and LinkedIn founder, Oluwole recalls the weeks of traveling he took while working for a large tech company. In 2022, he traveled every six weeks and only took two weeks of vacation. In 2023, Oluwole had a leisurely three weeks on holiday but reported just one week of holiday.

“Over 15 months, I spent a total of ten weeks on a leisurely vacation, taking time away from my fully remote job,” he said. he said .

“I think a quiet vacation can be good for productivity; I was truly happy traveling around the world, which translated into my productivity at work.”

It’s growing tendency amongst distant employees, called a quiet vacation, involves employees taking day without work without informing their boss – it’s another to the silent leave movement.

How Oluwole managed to go on holiday without knowing about his job, as a distant employee he had to undertake and consider certain processes before departure. He outlines these considerations in five tips that he shares with other distant employees who want to add more restful vacations to their workweek.

Learn how to construct systems that can allow you to do your job more effectively, but in less time.

“As long as you perform, fewer eyes will be on you,” Oluwole says. “I figured since we were working remotely, all I had to do was make sure my team was always doing well and I could be anywhere in the world.”

Oluwole developed a system to automate messages and tasks and scheduled dedicated time in his calendar to prevent booking random meetings. He had team members send notes or read AI-generated meeting summaries and used a virtual background for conversations. As a manager, he still had the team under his care, which he achieved by implementing effective systems, resembling reducing all one-on-one meetings from an hour to just 15-Half-hour a week. He also created a day by day revenue tracker to keep his team informed of the goals they need to achieve to meet their monthly and quarterly quotas.

Learn how to get work done through people.

“Whenever there was work to be done on my quiet days on vacation, I delegated as much work as I could to my team,” Oluwole said.

“I selected a team captain to cover for me during team meetings once I was away from home as a tourist, and I paired people up according to their strengths and weaknesses. That’s why the team almost never exceeded the quota.”

His team also enjoyed the delegation and had “good things” to say about Oluwole’s management style. He attributes this to the motivation and inspiration he provided to his team through support and financial assurance.

(*5*) he explained.

Quality time also helped. Oluwole hung out along with his team outside of work and even planned annual trips with them. He also avoided micromanaging, which motivated them to keep working hard even when he wasn’t around.

Say “no” more often to projects that do not align together with your profession goals.

“It really helped me avoid playing politics and the career ladder,” Oluwole said. “If the opportunity didn’t serve my long-term goals or was too high-profile, I would turn it down.”

“I rejected projects claiming that I did not have enough computing power, and I also refused to participate in meetings that were not necessary,” he added.

Build something you own outside of work.

While working at a large technology company, Oluwole was energetic on LinkedIn, gaining over 100,000 followers. He promoted a profession camp on the platform and partnered with multiple brands, earning between $5,000 and $8,000 a month on top of his day job.

(*10*) he said.

“Having my own classes allowed me to not feel pressured to follow all the rules. It also gave me an income that I could use to travel and do all this without worry.”

Try to find a boss who values ​​your productivity greater than your physical presence, though this may occasionally be beyond your control.

“Sometimes my boss and sometimes even my superiors would ask me about my schedule and availability, but it was rare and not a big problem,” Oluwole said.

Due to his team’s strong performance and talent to meet their goals, Oluwole received positive reviews, which resulted in a 13% raise on the tech company. After ten weeks of leisurely vacations throughout the 12 months, he left the corporate, moved to Paris, France along with his wife and have become self-employed full time.