In our hustle culture, people tend to correlate productivity with long hours. Those who come into work early and stay well into the evening are viewed favorably. However, evidence suggests that the most productive employees are not actually those who work excessively long days.
People assume that more time spent at work equals getting more done, but that’s just not true. Research shows that when employees work longer than their mental capacity can handle, it is hard for them to get anything done. They may physically be in the office, but their mind is elsewhere.
A study conducted in Iceland involving over 2,500 employees found that employee productivity either remained the same or increased when their hours decreased from 40 to 35 a week. A similar Stanford study showed that employee output per hour significantly drops after 50 hours per week. After 55 hours, productivity declines so steeply that any additional time produces minimal results.
So, working long hours does not make more productive employees. Your brain needs regular breaks to maintain focus and cognitive function.
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Working long hours while completely exhausted is like working while drunk. Peer-reviewed studies have consistently demonstrated that a person who has been awake for 17 hours has the equivalent impairment of a person with a blood-alcohol level of .05%. In most states, anywhere above .08% can lead to a DUI arrest.
When employees are working on little sleep, they are far more prone to making mistakes that affect them, and their entire team, at a later time. Exhausted employees are far less focused on their work, and miss things they would catch if they were alert.
For employees to be productive and work to the best of their abilities, they need to have a healthy work-life balance. Time spent away from the office with loved ones or doing hobbies they enjoy is invaluable.
Work-life balance statistics in the U.S. reveal that 66% of employees report that they do not have a good work-life balance and 48% say they are workaholics. The U.S. ranks 29th out of 41 countries with the best work-life balance due to long work hours and lack of parental leave policies.
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Constant exhaustion should not be a badge of honor. Overworked employees are often burnt out and cannot perform their jobs — or other life functions — to the best of their ability.
A report from MyPerfectResume found that 88% of employees feel burnt out at work, which can take a toll on their productivity and overall well-being. Burnout drains one’s cognitive resources, making it difficult to think clearly and make decisions. This can directly hinder work productivity and their ability to complete projects promptly.
Working hours that go far beyond what your brain’s capacity can handle sets the false expectation that it is normal to work through complete exhaustion and burnout. When enough employees start doing this, they may establish the idea that working these strenuous hours is normal. It’s not.
Research suggests that the average worker is only productive for two hours and 53 minutes of the eight-hour workday. This means that most of the time they are at work, they are not entirely being productive. So, why spend even more time at the office?
Long work hours often hide inefficiency by masking the underlying problems that are affecting productivity. When employees work long hours, they often focus on putting in the time rather than producing quality results.
They may also experience higher levels of exhaustion which can hinder the quality of their work. As a person becomes more tired, their ability to focus, think clearly, and make good decisions diminishes, leading to more mistakes and slower task completion.
Ultimately, working longer hours does not make someone a more productive worker — it only drives them into exhaustion and burnout.
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Megan Quinn is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in Creative Writing. She covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on justice in the workplace, personal relationships, parenting debates, and the human experience.
