The TUC’s labour force study has shown the level at which we are pushing ourselves within our world of work. The estimate is that on average workers carried out 7.2 hours of unpaid overtime per week during 2011. This equates to around £5,300 of time given to their employer each year, with a staggering total of £23 billion hours carried out without pay across the UK.
We all know that we are in very tough economic times and that we have to do more with less, but at what long-term cost? We already work close to the longest hours in Europe (only Greece and Austria work longer) and we appear to be increasing the level. And it can’t be put down to a workforce across Great Britain that is simply completely committed to their jobs, because we already know that over two-thirds of our employees are not engaged. So it would appear that the vast majority of our working population are being pushed further and further for less and less. The result ironically, however, is diminishing returns for the organisations for which they work.
We are not designed to be able to work persistently and simply cannot sustain high performance. Pushing on through will not bring greater results and can, in fact, lead to terrible consequences. The Chernobyl and Exxon Valdez disasters were both attributed to tiredness. Our bodies and minds work on a rhythm. We can concentrate for around 90 minutes at a time, after which our ability to think and make decisions depletes rapidly. Only when we have taken a break to renew our energy can we start again. If we insist on not stopping then we need to take responsibility for the results.
It’s not just our physiology that we are working against. What about the other parts of our worlds outside of work – our families, our interests, our pursuits? If we find ourselves focusing disproportionately on work then other aspects of ourselves will suffer. And the consequences of that are far reaching throughout our society, communities and, of course, our economy.
With our lives out of balance and working longer hours we also find ourselves subject to rising stress levels – now the number one cause of long-term absenteeism. Stress is accumulative and highly toxic to our bodies and brains, giving rise to all manner of health issues.
As we continue to work these longer and longer hours for the sake of our businesses, what we are actually doing is increasing the risk of error, reducing our performance and decision making, reducing the time we have with those we care about and, in turn, raising our stress levels, which leads us to be absent from work. A vicious cycle in which no one wins and which deepens the economic and social challenges we are facing.
So, instead of giving up more and more free time to work, or organisations expecting more for nothing, maybe we should take a step back and evaluate what is happening right in front of our noses. Then adjust our approach to working so that we stop the negative cycle and start instead to improve our performance through leveraging our physical energy and balancing our employees’ worlds. Only then will we reap the rewards.
In my part of the world – Africa especially Nigeria, I think private business owners really need an overhaul. The make employees rush off to work, spend hours to get to their places of work and eat unhealthy launch on their work tables. Before mid day, an employee is already worn out and becomes unsettled for the rest of the day.
I feel is about working smart that matters and not just working hard; there are better results for tasks and projects when an employee is excited and energized. I wish all business owners can understand the way this works.