A new study claims that working more than 25 hours a week has a “negative impact” on cognition. If that’s true, NAPA Net readers beware.
As one might expect, a plurality of this week’s respondents work 40-50 hours (44%), and another 23% work the classic 40 hours a week (at least most of the year). One out of eight do work less than 40 hours, but another 11% are working 50-60 hours – and the remaining 10% are clocking in more than 60 hours.
For most of this week’s respondents (72%), those hours are in the office. However, 12.5% note that only about three-fourths of their work week is in the office, and another 10% said that applies to about half their work week. The rest? Never go into the office.
Comparison Points
Those work weeks are “about the same” for nearly half (47%) of this week’s respondents, though for nearly as many (41%), it’s more than most others in their office. About 1 in 10 say it’s less than most in the office, and the rest – aren’t sure.
Of course, they may just be following the boss’s example; 37.5% say that time commitment is about the same as the boss, and nearly 19% say it is less than their boss.
On the other hand, about 22% say it’s more than the boss is putting in, and another 7% said it was “way more” than the boss’s hours. While roughly 6% weren’t sure – the remaining 9% were the boss…
Cognitive ‘Developments?’
Now, as to the premise of the study itself questioning the impact of longer workweeks on productivity… we asked readers if they thought they would be more productive with a shorter work week. A plurality (35%) said “probably,” while 22% indicated “maybe.” One reader noted that they had recently “reduced from 40 to 25 – I am very productive at this level.”
On the flip side, about 6% said they “doubted” it would matter, and a similar number were more blunt – simply saying “no.”
As for the remaining 29%? Well, they admitted they weren’t sure, but were “willing to give it a shot.”
Reader Comments
We got some interesting comments to this week’s reader poll. Here’s a sampling:
- “I work the hours because the work has to get done.”
- “If the work week is shorter for everyone it works better – otherwise, those working shorter workdays end up playing catch-up for the first day – YIKES.”
- “Continue to see trending on telecommuters and causes us to review how we measure productivity. It's not just time on the clock, but getting work completed. People like to work hours that more suit themselves, again creating challenges for the employer to allow, track and manage what is done!”
- ”People who have time sensitive obligations outside of work (2nd job, daycare pickup, etc.) know they have a certain amount of time to get everything done and tend to be productive in the time they have. People who plan to stay at work all night anyway, ‘workaholics,’ tend to build a lot of idle time in their day and are less productive in their 12 hours than a strict 8 hour person might be. I think people who feel they have a truly satisfying work/life balance (leave work at work, generous time off, flexible hours, maybe fewer hours for some) are going to be the most productive.”
- “I would like to see employers get away from requiring a certain number of hours that NEED to be worked each week and put more value on employees working the hours it takes to get their work done. In my opinion as a younger employee, the idea of a ‘40-hour work week’ is an antiquated concept – who says it needs to be this? Just because it has always been done this way? If I get my work done and it takes less than 40 hours and my clients are happy with the service, why is it necessary for me to waste my time sitting at a desk pretending to be busy when I’m not?
- “Certain co-workers put a drain on productivity. Days when they are not in the office are more productive for the rest of us. I could possibly get more done in less time if I didn’t have constant interruptions. Also, knowing I am going to be at work for longer hours (depending on the time of year) means I am trying to squeeze my personal business into the work day, which certainly makes me less productive!”
- “There used to be a busy season in the TPA world. For the past several years ‘busy season’ never stops.”
- “Since I already work 7 days a week between my 2 jobs, I am not sure how to comment on this – I don’t get a day off unless I take one or we have a holiday & the office is closed! :-)”
- “In my 20s, 30s, and 40s, I worked 60-70 hours per week consistently. A large portion of this time was spent studying for actuarial exams in my 20s, then building my practice in my 30s and 40s. I never found that longer work weeks led to diminished productivity. There was no choice since there was so much that needed to be done. As I’m getting older, I’m taking more time to devote to my family and hobbies. I’m not finding that a shorter work week is leading to increased productivity. The results of the Australian study don't agree with my personal experience.”
- “At my company we have many employees who work from home several days a week. I often wonder just how much work is actually done by those employees on their work from home days.”
But this week’s Editor’s Choice goes to the reader who noted, “In 401k plan work, there is no such thing as ‘normal’ hours; some weeks are light, some are frenzied, so all I can give you is average hours. As to productivity, the job must get done!”
Thanks to everyone who participated in our weekly NAPA Net reader poll!
Got something you’d like to run by your fellow NAPA Net readers? Curious as to the staying power of a new trend? Post your question in the comments section below, or email me at [email protected].
