A recent study shows that employees are productive for only two hours and fifty-three minutes of an eight-hour workday.1 At first glance, three hours might not seem terrible, but this statistic demonstrates that employees are productive at work just over one-third of the time.
So, why do we spend so much time at work if we are not working the whole time? Individuals in American society have developed a psychological attachment to work because they tie it to their self-worth.2 The well-known phrases “work your way to the top” and “hard work pays off” are excellent examples of this modern mentality. But does hard work really pay off?
To break the psychological attachment to work, an individual must do the following:
(1) Recognize that inefficiency is ruining work.
(2) Identify productivity as doing more with less.
(3) Prioritize personal happiness by working less.
Inefficiency is Ruining Work
Inefficiency in the workplace is a far bigger problem than many realize. This drop in production is due to an influx of distractions, decreased attention spans, and falling employee engagement levels. If employees are only productive for less than three hours of the workday, what are they doing with the other five hours? Most browse news websites and scroll through social media.3
Today, distractions are everywhere. Many people are ill-equipped to manage these distractions and stay on task. Surprisingly, the human attention span, eight seconds, is now shorter than that of a goldfish, nine seconds.4 Staying on task seems to be more difficult than ever. Workers are bombarded with ads, notifications, and social media content, imbuing employers with concern for the current decrease in employee engagement.5
By measuring each employee’s productivity, employers can determine if their employees are actively engaged in their work or simply checking off a box. In the United States, the 40-hour workweek has become commonplace. Many people work “traditional” jobs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and view work as simply putting in their time.
Work has become less about innovating and creating and more about avoiding disasters or mistakes. Too many people are acting in fear—fear of losing their job, fear of letting down their employers, and fear of not providing for their families.
Instead, people need to choose to act. By permitting fear to motivate them, an individual allows their environment to influence their mindset; they should instead focus on the power they do hold within their circumstances. Once an employee decides to take control of their career, they become more engaged in decision making.
Employee engagement is important because disengaged employees are more likely to see a dip in the quality of their work. Reductions in work quality can lead to many problems for businesses: fighting a lawsuit, losing an important customer, or facing increased media scrutiny. According to the Statista Research Department, employee engagement in the United States currently stands at 32%. Employee engagement levels peaked in 2020 at 36% and have since fallen to 32% as shown in Figure 1. 7
Figure 1
The downward trend in employee engagement is cause for alarm. If the trend continues, it could lead to an apathetic workforce, which would spell disaster for top- level executives and CEOs everywhere. This decrease in employee engagement causes a great divide between work hours and productivity.8 One question remains: How can companies bridge the gap between work and productivity in the workplace?
Productivity: Doing More with Less
Productivity has room for improvement through the application of Parkinson’s law and a reduction in work hours. Put simply, Parkinson’s law is the axiom that work expands to fill the time given for its completion.9 Therefore, by reducing the number of hours spent at work, a person can increase in productivity.
For example, a manager at a private equity firm has a report they are presenting to the CEO. The manager begins thinking about the report on Monday, but they know they have until Friday to complete it. While the manager will start working on the report before Friday, the bulk of the report will not be completed until Thursday.
Now, consider the scenario from a different angle. Assume the situation is the same except for the fact that the manager will be out of t own on Wednesday and Thursday. This rushed schedule means the manager must finish the report by the end of the day on Tuesday. In this second scenario, the manager has a decreased time frame for the project and must complete the report before leaving town. The point here is that most people waste time procrastinating until they reach their deadline. However, by shortening the time limit of projects, people are more productive with the time they do have.10
Reducing work hours will positively affect employee productivity and balance in the workplace.11 Many workers struggle with maintaining a healthy work-life balance. As of 2016,
By choosing to work less, a person can discover a healthy work-life balance.13
Being able to have proportionate time spent between home and work will help employees focus while they are in the office, as they will concentrate on completing objectives instead of passing the time. When plenty of personal time is already set aside, they’ll worry less about personal matters while at work. By worrying less, employees can focus better, thereby reducing mental clutter.
Working less won’t inhibit a person from accomplishing their job requirements. Parkinson’s law ensures that an individual will find a way to complete their weekly tasks. Overall, reducing working hours will cause personal productivity to rise by incentivizing employees to complete their work more efficiently. 15
Time away from work contributes to greater life satisfaction, increased family time, and more engaged employees. The European Social Survey (ESS) recently found a significant negative correlation between work hours and levels of life satisfaction among employees. This study concludes that fewer working hours correspond with improved life satisfaction and happiness. 16
Happiness is Tied to Working Less
Individuals often work long hours because society encourages them to. Values of demanding work and manual labor have been embedded into society by the American Founding Fathers and other historical figures. American society champions individuals that exemplify these values. Think about the person who receives praise for being the first in the office every day and the last to leave. What about the person who finishes their work early every day and goes home to their family? Why are they overlooked for being more efficient?
It is an issue of focusing on work hours instead of looking at the value of the work. However, by flipping this mindset, individuals do not need to feel guilty about spending time with their families and engaging in other pursuits.
A re-evaluation of priorities and performance at work will also help change this mindset. Individuals need to examine their work habits for inefficiencies. As a person weeds out these inefficiencies and becomes more productive, this mentality will bleed over into other aspects of their life.
For example, employees can go home from work feeling good about their day and looking forward to spending quality time with their family. Employees will not have to worry about trying to make it home in time for a kid’s soccer practice or dance rehearsal, which will give them the peace of mind needed to focus on tackling difficult tasks at work.
Deciding to work less also gives employees more time to engage in their personal hobbies and other pursuits, such as their health. Health has been determined to be a key driver of happiness.17 However, many individuals neglect their health because of overwhelming work obligations.
By allowing adequate time for rest and balance, a person can benefit from an increased sense of life satisfaction.18 This means that greater fulfillment is found in life, and these individuals have more time to spend with their families and loved ones. Relationships benefit when they are prioritized over work.
Opposing Viewpoints
While the option of employees working fewer hours sounds great, some industries cannot afford the shift. Take investment banking, for instance. Investment bankers consistently work over sixty hours a week, with some working one-hundred-hour long weeks. 19 No matter how hard an investment banker may work in a fourty-hour long week, other investment bankers are willing to put in longer hours.
Therefore, for individuals in highly competitive and demanding fields of work, working fewer hours is not feasible. These roles skew work-life balance tremendously and are not the best fit for someone wanting more time to pursue other interests.
When a person looks at what their priorities and values are, they must determine what is most important. For instance, if they want to make a lot of money or enjoy working long hours, then certain roles are a good fit for them. Others may prioritize flexibility at work or time spent with family, so they should choose roles that enable them to do these things. Whatever the case may be, individuals need to consider which companies and industries are a good fit for them. While an individual does not have complete control over their work hours, they do have control over their career choices.
Bottom Line
Individuals need to start viewing work as an opportunity to add value and contribute to the world instead of a prescription of hours to fill. The time has arrived for individuals to examine their relationship with work and reframe it in a healthier way. If a person’s relationship with work does not change, it could lead to disengagement or fatigue.
These employees will not improve their work-life balance, which could lead to chronic psychological issues, such as anxiety and depression. 21 A person can begin to break their psychological attachment to work as they reexamine their priorities and approach work in a new way.
By changing one’s mindset of work hours compared to the value of work, individuals will be able to live healthier and happier lives.22 The system will not be changed overnight; however, employees can strive to eliminate bias and clarify what they are working for. If nothing else, they can take the time to reflect on their relationship with work and what it is doing for their mental state.
Notes:
1 Melanie Curtin, “In an 8-Hour Day, the Average Worker is Productive for This Many Hours,” Inc, July 21, 2016, https://www.inc.com/melanie-curtin/in-an-8-hour-day-the-average-worker-is-productive-for-this-many-hours.html.
2 Gili Malinsky, “’Work Is the Single Most Important Way of Proving Your Worth’ in the U.S., Says Professor-Why It’s Making Us Miserable,” CNBC, July 21, 2022, https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/02/why-americas-obsession-with-work-is-making-us-miserable-psychology-professors.html.
3 Curtin, “Average Worker is Productive.”
4 Kevin McSpadden, “Science: You Now Have a Shorter Attention Span than a Goldfish,” Time, May 14, 2015, https://time.com/3858309/attention-spans-goldfish/.
5 “Employee Engagement U.S. 2022,” Statista, October 18, 2022, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1336330/employee-engagement-us/.
6 “How to Improve Employee Engagement in the Workplace,” Gallup, last modified November 14, 2022, https://www.gallup.com/workplace/285674/improve-employee-engagement-workplace.aspx.
7 Statista, “Employee Engagement U.S. 2022.”
8 Hester Nienaber and Nico Martins, “Exploratory Study: Determine which Dimensions Enhance the Levels of Employee Engagement to Improve Organizational Effectiveness,” TQM Journal 32, no. 3 (2020): 475-495, https://doi.org/10.1108/TQM-05-2019-0151.
9 Kat Boogaard, “What Is Parkinson’s Law and Why Is. It Sabotaging Your Productivity?” Atlassian, March 17, 2022,
10 Camille Timmerman, “Long Working Hours Do Not Increase Your Team Productivity: Solutions to Limit the Effects of Overtime on Employee’s Productivity in a Project Organization,” PM World Journal 8, no. 3 (April 2019): 1–18, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=135860112&site=ehost-live[HP5] .
11 Jonathan Chan, “3 Scientifically Backed Reasons Why Working Less Leads to More Productivity,” HuffPost, January 31, 2018, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/3-scientifically-backed-r_b_14509568.
12 Marija Kovachevska, “30 Home-Invading Work-Life Balance Statistics for 2020,” HealthCareers, June 20, 2020, https://healthcareers.co/work-life-balance-statistics/#:~:text=66%25%20of%20American%20workers%20lack%20work-life%20balance.%2077%25,job.%20Americans%20take%2026%25%20of%20their%20work%20home.
13 Sarah Green Carmichael, “The Research Is Clear: Long Hours Backfire for People and for Companies,” Harvard Business School Cases, March 1, 2022, 1–991, https://search-ebscohost.com.byu.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip&d-b = b u h & a m p ; A N = 1 5 6 3 5 1 7 9 1 & a m p ; s i t e = e -host-live&scope=site[HP6] .
14 Kovachevska, “Work-Life Balance Statistics.”
15 Chan, “Working Less Leads to More Productivity.”
16 Qinglong Shao, “Does Less Working Time Improve Life Satisfaction? Evidence from European Social Survey,” Health Economics Review 12, no. 1 (12, 2022), https://doi.org/10.1186/s13561-022-00396-6.
17 Matthew Solan, “Health and Happiness Go Hand in Hand,” Harvard Health, November 1, 2021, https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/health-and-happiness-go-hand-in-hand.
18 Qinglong Shao, “Does Less Working Time Improve Life Satisfaction?” 16.
19 Matt Whittle, “How to Become an Investment Banker,” Forbes, February 16, 2023, https://www.forbes.com/advisor/education/become-investment-banker/.
20 Carmichael, “Long Hours Backfire for People and for Companies,” 1-4.
21 Ana Sandoiu, “Poor Work-Life Balance Leads to Poor Health Later in Life,” Medical News Today, October 29, 2016, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/313755.
22 Qinglong Shao, “Does Less Working Time Improve Life Satisfaction?” 1-2.