6 Hour Workday??? Sign me up!!!

Photo: nappy,co

Imagine a world in which you arrive at work at 9am and leave at 3pm. Or stroll in at 11am and leave at 5pm. Sounds great right? Why do we even have an 8 hour workday? and in 2020 is a 40 hour work week a valid marker of efficiency and productivity?

The 8 hour work day was established in the early 1900s during the age of child labor, coal mines, and the industrial revolution. Fast forward to the current age of the internet, work now requires more mental capacity (critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity). Organizational psychologist, Adam Grant, says it best “the more complex and creative jobs are, the less it makes sense to pay attention to hours at all. Like most humans, leaders are remarkably good at anchoring on the past even when it’s irrelevant to the present.”

Studies have also found that the today’s work environment of constant distractions and hyper-responsiveness is counter-productive to the necessary work flow needed for optimal output. Reflect on your typical work day. Out of 8 hours, how much time do you spend actively working on meaningful projects compared to the time you spend answering emails, completing administrative tasks, attending meetings, checking your phone, and responding to unplanned interruptions?

A study in Australia tested the 6 hour workday for two weeks and found that teams were forced to prioritize effectively, limit interruptions, and be more intentional about time management. Overall the team performed the same and in some instances improved their quantity and quality of work, while also reporting that their mental state improved as they had more time for rest, family, and friends.

Long story short…..longer hours do not result in more output.

I can personally attest to this. I always found it odd in my career that when I had commitments outside of work that forced me to leave work at a specific time (or just leave on time), I performed better at work, so much so that my manager even took notice. I was forced to manage my time more efficiently and be clear about priorities and expectations so that I could complete the tasks most important to the profitability of the organization. In times when I didn’t have the strict time constraint, I found myself taking as much time as I was given (or more) to complete work. Give me a week to complete a project? Well then I’ll take a week to do it, when in fact this clearly isn’t the most efficient way to work.

One study showed that managers could not tell the difference between the work of employees who worked 80 hours a week and those who just pretended to do so. There was no evidence that the employees who worked fewer hours actually accomplished any less. Imagine how mad you would be if you had been putting in 80 HOURS A WEEK only to produce the same work product as someone working less. In fact overworking could negatively impact the quality of your work through increased mistakes, the inability to see the big picture, and ultimately burn out.

So at this point, I’m sure you’re thinking….well how do we implement this shorter work day?? And to be honest I have no idea. By no means am I’m telling you to start clocking out two hours early everyday without approval from the powers that be at your organization but it should give you something to consider as you debate whether to stay late to get “one last thing” done on that project. It should make you consider limiting the distractions in your work environment (yes your phone too) so that you can make the most of your work day and then clock out when it’s time to go #worklifebalance.

Want to know more? Check out these articles that I sourced for this post!

Link to HBR: “The Case for the 6-Hour Workday”
Link to HBR: “The Research is Clear: Long Hours Backfire for People and for Companies”