by Stephen Bruce, PhD, PHR
Monday, November 30th, 2015 - HR Daily Advisor
Some believe that the 8-hour workday is an arbitrary number of hours to
work—one that needs adjusting. A number of companies in Sweden are switching to
the 6-hour workday. But will it work? If so, would it work here?
When we think about the standard workday in the United States, the 8-hour
norm actually is a relatively recent phenomenon. It didnft become truly standard
until Henry Ford made it the norm in Ford factories. However, the push for a
shorter workday started much earlier—back in the mid-1800s, as a product of the
Industrial Revolution.
Companies have always sought to maximize productivity, and it used to be the
norm to do so by expecting employees to work as many hours as possible—even up
to 16 hours as a standard workday or 100 or more hours in a workweek. Today it
seems obvious that this is not a sustainable model—no one remains productive for
that many hours straight. But, it took many years and a few highly-visible
organizational leaders to recognize and promote the idea of shorter workdays.
They promoted the idea that working fewer hours could be done without
sacrificing productivity because productivity over such a long period (16 hours)
is greatly diminished anyway.
Now, we are perhaps again at a tipping point. An 8-hour workday was not set
based on scientific evidence of maximized productivity. It has been popularized
starting with Henry Ford, but that doesnft mean itfs the magical number of ideal
productivity. Could we take this theory further? What is the ideal number of
hours to work in a day to truly maximize efficiency? In the news lately, Sweden
has been asking that very question. Many organizations there are experimenting
with a 6-hour workday. Letfs take a look at the rationale behind this move.
Rationale Behind a 6-Hour Workday
For the companies in Sweden making the move to a 6-hour workday, the key
rationale here is that people arenft actually productive for a full 8 hours as
it is, so there might not actually be a productivity loss by reducing total
hours worked if done properly.
Perhaps youfve heard of Parkinsonfs Law, gWork expands so as to fill the time
available for its completion.h In short, this tells us that if we have 8 hours
to get our work done for the day, we will take 8 hours to do it—even if it would
not require that much time. As such, if we have 6 hours, we might still be able
to get everything done—we would just do things more efficiently.
Put another way, most workers are not 100% efficient all day. Some estimates
indicate that employers lose a couple hours of productivity every day to
miscellaneous things that waste employee time. By shortening the workday, it
shortens the amount of time that the employee has to remain focused on a
specific task—which means there is less time available to waste. This heightens
the sense of urgency to get things done (most of us are more efficient when a
deadline approaches!) and allows productivity to not take the hit youfd
imagine.
In fact, productivity is really the key here. Most of us intuitively know
that we can create better output when we have high energy, and we can get more
done in a short timeframe if we are at our most efficient. In other words, itfs
the level of efficiency that drives productivity, not simply the hours worked,
and increasing hours can actually decrease how efficient we are as our energy
levels decrease. The theory goes, we should manage productivity by creating an
environment where employees work when they have the highest energy levels, and
doing so would maximize productivity, even while it reduces total hours worked.
Win-win!
Tomorrow wefll discuss some of the benefits of a shortened workday, plus an
introduction to a free, interactive webcast, Metrics that Matter for Managing
Employees sponsored by Kronos.
by Stephen Bruce, PhD, PHR
Tuesday, December 1st, 2015 - HR Daily Advisor
In yesterdayfs
Advisor we discussed the history of the 8-hour workday and some
beliefs about how it might be modified with great success. Today wefll look at
the potential benefits of the 6-hour workday.
Potential Benefits to a Shortened Workday
Organizations in Sweden are testing this theory of minimal productivity loss
with a 6-hour workday and are finding it to be true in many cases. Theyfve found
other benefits too, even in situations where the extra hours must be made up by
other workers. A good example of this situation is for nurses. Patients need
care around the clock, so a shorter workday for an individual means that more
nurses will need to be brought on to cover all of the hours (productivity is not
measured in output in these situations). This will only increase labor costs if
everyone involved is salaried; if everyone is paid by the hour, it might
actually reduce labor costs due to the reduction in overtime pay. Either
way, theyfre finding it also results in improvements in other areas that offset
increased labor costs. In this example, one major benefit was found in improved
patient care because the nursing staff was well-rested and better able to attend
to patient needs.
There are many other potential benefits as well. Employees gain valuable time
to spend outside of work. This can allow fewer work disruptions because it
allows greater flexibility in appointment scheduling, child care, and more. It
can even help with employee wellness because it can allow employees to be less
stressed and can provide time for more activities to be done without encroaching
on sleep—it can even allow time for fitness-related activities!
In turn, employees who are better-rested and less stressed make fewer
mistakes and have better morale. This work environment can lead to fewer
arguments or other conflicts. Overall, employees are happier, have higher energy
levels, and have fewer workplace accidents. Over time, it can even result in
less turnover (thus lowering the associated costs) and can make it easier to
recruit new employees when necessary. Employers can also see other direct
improvements to the bottom line in the form of reduced absences and fewer
breaks.
Is this something your organization would benefit from? Some view the 6-hour
workday as a radical change, but others are saying that it makes perfect sense
and could be an ideal path forward. Wefre all waiting to see how it plays out in
Sweden to see what happens next.
Wouldnft it be nice if setting the number of hours in a workweek was your
only problem? If only that were the case.
With so much jargon, so many acronyms, and a plethora of solutions, itfs not
easy to figure out what solutions will help you organize, streamline and improve
employee-related processes. Wouldnft it be nice to simply bypass the buzzwords
and look at whatfs really important−the key metrics that your organization needs
to boost productivity, streamline management, and reduce compliance risks?
Fortunately therefs timely help in the form of a free new webcast—Metrics
that Matter for Managing Employees. In just 60 minutes, on Tuesday,
December 15, youfll learn everything you need to know about whatfs
really important when it comes to HR metrics.