The standard full-time employment is 40 hours or five days a week. But, it’s not uncommon that you hear someone’s working for 50-70 hours, and that person might even be you. Nevertheless, the question is are those extra hours really worth it?
Real-life examples and many studies prove a shocking correlation between working hours and productivity. So, let’s explain what the dangers of overworking are.
Working long hours causes:
- Increased chances of stroke by 33%
- Increased heart problems by 13%
- Increased risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes by 112%
- Increased risk of depression and anxiety problems by 50%.
All These Dangers for What?
The thing is, the extra hours you work are not always productive. Numerous experiments and researches prove that you can only do up to 5 hours of concentrated, productive work.
So, the rest of the working hours is spent on things such as checking emails and unproductive meetings. At the same time, researchers say the average employee checks his email 36 times in 60 minutes.
Also, the time spend on meetings per month is 31 hours, and the worst part is the attendees are usually daydreaming (91%), complaining (47%), or sleeping (39%). This means the meetings are mostly unproductive.
A Day Off is Good for Both, Employees and Companies
You might be surprised, but shortening the workweek is not only good for workers but for the companies as well.
Apparently, a shorter workweek benefits the companies in the following ways:
Reduced Energy Cost
Utah implemented a three-day weekend and noticed $1.8 million reduced energy costs in ten months.
Reduced Absenteeism
The shorter workweek minimized absenteeism in the state of Utah by 9 percent.
Increased Productivity
The orthopedic unit in Sahlgrenska University Hospital had 20 percent more operations after shortening their workweek. What’s more, the patients say their medical staff and doctors looked happier.
Will You Suggest a Three Day Weekend to Your Boss?
You can present the success of other companies with an extra day off. For example, here are three companies and their results after implementing a 3-day weekend.
Treehouse
The employees in Treehouse become more productive and happier since they got a 32-hour workweek in 2006. After their new schedule, they raised $4.75 million in funding and $3 million in yearly revenue.
KFC Japan
After KFC Japan implemented the 3-day program, they convinced over 20 mothers to return to work. Eventually, this was a successful fight against a labor shortage.
Basecamp (37Signals)
Basecamp CEO Jason Fried believes a compressed workweek creates more focused and creative employees. As a result, that is exactly what happened after implementing a 3-day weekend.
But, these three companies are not the only ones that follow this growing trend. More companies in the US, Japan, France, Sweden, and the UK are enjoying the benefits of a prolonged weekend.
Finally, show the infographic below to your colleagues, friends, and even your boss.
Let them see the benefits of a shorter workweek to help them realize that working long hours doesn’t necessarily mean productivity.ForbesVia: ForbesSource Forbes