Working long hours is nothing new to many people in American industry. In this week’s article from workintelligent.ly, the author discusses the usually false perception that more hours translates to more productivity. In some situations, burning the candle at both ends can be an effective short-term solution, but it doesn’t always work as a permanent fix:
“In 1900, the Ford Motor Company commissioned a series of tests to determine how long a workweek should be to optimize productivity. Ford discovered the “sweet spot” is 40 hours per week. The tests also found that while adding another 20 hours to the work week provides a small bump in productivity, that boost only lasts for about a month before it begins to back and actually reverse.”
Boy, I know I'm sure not the only person I know - or work with, or for - who's put in a long week or two. We've been hearing for a while now that there's a point of diminishing returns when it comes to stacking on the hours. It can be hard to break the habit, though. How many of you out there work in an industry, or for a manager, that rewards or encourages working 10-12 hours on a daily basis?
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