If there is one problem that all of us face, it’s the fact that we tend to live busy lives. It seems as if we have more things to do than we have time to get them done. That is why many of us have started working extra hours, because we are under the impression that working more hours will allow us to get more done. Science disagrees.
Most people today work anywhere from 50 all the way up to 70 hours every week, in effect, making the workplace a second home. A number of experiments done by K. Anders Eriksson, however, proves that something interesting happens when we reduce that number. He is a top expert of psychology, and according to his research, people are only able to have anywhere from 4-5 hours of productive work every day. After we reach our peak, output tends to slide off and people began suffering at work.
“If you’re pushing people well beyond the time they can really concentrate maximally, you’re very likely to get them to acquire some bad habits. What’s worse, those bad habits could end up spilling into the time people are normally productive,” Ericsson tells.
When managers shorten the work week, they were able to get a significantly larger amount of work done. Not only did they receive more output,they had better worker retention and the happiness at the workplace increased.
In 2006, a 32 hour workweek was initiated by Ryan Carson, CEO of Treehouse. His employees have been more productive and happier since that time.
Carson says that the company is a success and the annual average revenue is in the millions of dollars. Employees are happy that they come to work every day.
Reusser Design, a web design company, had a similar experience. When they switched to a four-day workweek in 2013. According to the company founder, Nate Reusser, “Even if employees work overtime on Fridays, their performance is much higher. You have no idea how people hustle to finish projects before they go on vacation.”
In one school system, a four-day school week was introduced to fourth and fifth graders as an experiment. The results were quite surprising. Maths and reading skills of students who only studied four days per week increased by up to 12% compared to children who were at school five days per week.
Erickson said the following about children: “I think the idea that children will be fully concentrating during all their classes is unreasonable.” It is especially a problem for children who have problems staying focused.
At times, it may be that a redistribution of our work time can benefit us significantly. This is not only true for the company, it is true for employees as well.
Government employees were also put under a similar test in 2008, right in the middle of a major financial crisis. When employees were switched to a four-day workweek but started working 10 hours per day, it had many benefits. They reduced the cost of heating, cooling and powering the buildings. In addition, people love having the extra day off and the change that they were experiencing.
For these reasons, a shorter workweek may just be the ticket to happier and more productive employees and companies.
Via: Bright Side
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