To some, it might seem like common sense but it's something that experts say companies are finally starting to realize: Employees who spend time on productive tasks instead of counting down the hours with busywork are more efficient, which makes them happier.
Instead of focusing on the act of working or the number of hours spent on the clock, employees and companies should be focusing on results, according to Ed Zitron, a writer and publicist for tech companies.
In an article for Business Insider, Zitron says corporate America has become an inefficient monster that conflates hours worked with outputs created, thinking that capturing and draining workers of their time and happiness makes them more money. He argues that workers who are given the freedom to focus on actually creating value rather than performative busywork will be happier, more productive, and more likely to stay with the company.
The COVID-19 pandemic really thrust these issues into the spotlight as more people were forced to work remotely. Instead of trying to rethink how they value employees when they aren't in the same physical space all day, companies have spent much of the pandemic clinging to the old model of "more hours = more productive." But Zitron says that adage is just corporate charade.
One study by the University of Warwick found a 12% increase in productivity among happier workers, with researchers concluding "happier workers use the time they have more effectively, increasing the pace at which they can work without sacrificing quality."
Workers don't always need eight hours to be productive, either. Studies have shown that the ideal work day is actually around five hours long, with some researchers even suggesting that we're only truly productive for less than three hours a day, Zitron wrote.
So, what are workers doing with the rest of their time? Put simply, busy work. Employees burn hours working on agendas, reports, summaries, presentations, meetings, and other tasks that feel like work but ultimately fail to produce anything meaningful, according to Zitron.
Insider pointed to a survey of over 10,600 workers who admitted to spending roughly 58% of their day doing "work about work." Another study by Harvard Business Review found that workers spent an average of 41% of their time on "tasks that make [them] feel bust and thus important."
Does that mean it's time to re-think the five-day, 40 hour work week? That answer is yes if you ask Joe O'Connor, chief executive of 4 Day Week Global, which advocates for a four-day work week with no loss of pay.
"As we emerge from the pandemic, more and more companies are recognizing that the new frontier for competition is quality of life, and that reduced-hour, output-focused working is the vehicle to give them a competitive edge," O'Connor told Bloomberg.
In June, more than 3,300 workers from 70 companies launched a six-month trial of a four-day work week. Workers in the trial will receive 100% of their pay for 80% of the time, as long as they are committed to keep up 100% of their productivity at work. During the trial, researchers will analyze "how employees respond to having an extra day off, in terms of stress and burnout, job and life satisfaction, health, sleep, energy use, travel and many other aspects of life."
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