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It may be less productive to work longer hours; therefore, it would be wise to recover part of that time.
The days of showing up to work at nine in the morning and leaving exactly eight hours later are long gone. More hours are being worked than ever before by American workers. 40% of American workers reported working more than 50 hours a week, while 20% reported working more than 60 hours, according to a 2014 Gallup poll.
Of course, there are advantages and disadvantages to the fact that you can now complete work-related duties without physically being in an office. Because smartphones are so common, employees can access proprietary systems remotely and log on whenever needed to answer to work-related requests. For the roughly half of American workers who consistently put in 50 hours or more a week at work, working outside the office is still work, and it can easily lead to severe burnout.
Employers frequently place a great deal of pressure on staff members to be available at all times, even if it means working on the weekends or after hours. This contributes to the issue. However, organizations that require a more rigorous workweek may be doing more harm than good. This is due to research from Stanford University showing that after working 50 hours in a workweek, employee productivity drastically drops. Additionally, beyond 55 hours, employee productivity starts to decline sharply; that is to say, a worker who puts in 65 hours a week won’t produce any more than a worker who puts in 55.
Furthermore, extended work hours have been connected to a rise in employee turnover and repeated absenteeism. And it makes sense: We are more likely to become ill or feel the need to flee when we push ourselves too hard, whether on our own initiative or as a result of managerial pressure. Before you hit the point of no return, it could be time to cut back if you’ve reached a stage in your job where you’re working too many hours for your own health.
To what extent are you prepared to give up?
It’s one thing to skip out on family meals or happy hours on occasion in order to appease management or fulfill deadlines. It’s another matter entirely if you spend so much time at work that your pals start to forget your appearance.
Reducing your spare time too much might be detrimental to your health as well as your happiness. Everybody needs time during the week to unwind, and if you don’t take enough breaks, you run the danger of developing health problems in addition to depression.
