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When More (Hours) Equals Less (Everything)

by Miki Saxon

https://www.flickr.com/photos/suckamc/7047683/

Short post today, because the links are more important than anything I can say.

These days too many people brag about working excessive hours and too many managers rate their people based on their willingness to work those hours.

As Labor Day approaches, and a single day of rest from all the hours we Americans spend on the job is upon us, people can’t seem to stop talking about the crazy hours they work.
One of the most-read articles on the Wall Street Journal’s web site last week was a piece about how 4 a.m. — a time so ungodly there’s even a TED Talk about how surreal it is — has become the most productive hour for go-getters.

That’s in spite of research that excessive hours quell innovation and creativity, reduce productivity, increase errors and can cause serious health problems.

Yet research, time and time again, shows the problems with overwork — on people’s health, on turnover, on absenteeism, on productivity. Studies have shown that after about 50 hours a week, productivity actually decreases, and it plummets after 55 hours, leaving no detectable difference between those who work 56 hours and those who work 70 — or 130, as Mayer suggested may be needed for successful startups.

Many years ago a smart senior manager, who became a serial entrepreneur, commented that the need for 50+ hour weeks was a sign of bad management.

I can already hear the arguments, because I’ve been hearing them for years (decades, actually).

So here’s proof from someone who’s not an academic or researcher who doesn’t understand, because they don’t work in the real world.

Jeff Bezos.

Last Wednesday, Amazon announced it was preparing to launch a pilot program in which a few dozen employees would log only 30 hours each week. In return they would receive 75% of their normal salary and retain full benefits.  (…) By offering employees more flexibility, Amazon sends the message that life outside the workplace matters. The new policy also indicates that the world’s second-largest retailer is acknowledging the limits of human cognition, whether or not that was the Amazon’s intent.

That’s it. Now read the links.

Image credit: Martin Cathrae/Flickr

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