Working long hours - good or bad?

  Posted on 13/12/2019

Working long hours – up to 60 hours per week - in short bursts can often boost your productivity and can give you a “buzz.” But recent research has also found that working long hours can have a negative effect on your well-being.

The “sweet spot” for optimum productivity is 40 hours per week. Here are some reasons why you should maintain those hours to optimise your work-life balance.

Reduced productivity

Sometimes working long hours can be counter-productive. In the early 1990s, the Ford Motor Company conducted a series of tests and found that for every 20 hours of work carried out above the recommended 40 hours, productivity increased for three to four weeks. Thereafter, productivity turned negative. If you constantly work long hours, you get burned out, and you start falling behind in your duties.

Increased fatigue

Working long hours can increased fatigue. Symptoms of fatigue include sleepiness, weariness, poor concentration, irritability and an increased chance that you will succumb to illness.

More stress

Chances are if you are working long hours you are neglecting your family and friends – and as a result, this can cause stress and conflicts.

Neglected social life

By working long hours, your social life changes too. You need to maintain a work-life balance and spend time doing the things you like doing, with your friends and family.

Risk of obesity

In a study carried out by the University of Maryland School, working extended periods can contribute to obesity. Working long hours reduces the time allocated for you to prepare home-cooked meals, reduces the time for exercise and for sleeping.

Heart attack

According to a report by University College London, working long hours can also give you the risk of heart disease; the risk of heart disease increases by 67% for people who work long hours compared to people who work the standard 7-8 hours.

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