Schedules are more flexible and employees are required to get their work done and hit reasonably set deadlines – not to simply punch an imaginary clock. Nowadays, however, the attitude has changed. Any request to “stay late” was viewed as an imposition – as if the employer was encroaching on the employee’s personal time. People were expected to arrive at 8 am and felt free to leave right at 5 pm. Staples: I think 20 or 30 years ago, work was much more time-driven. Finally, managers don’t have complete visibility into each employee’s workloads, so they continue assigning additional work without considering existing projects and responsibilities.Ĭaprino: What do employees feel about this overtime work and how is it actually counter-productive? Employers do not effectively communicate work-life expectations, so employees default to prioritizing work over life outside.ĥ. Employee-fostered culture often dictates that those who work longer hours are going to be promoted more quickly for “working harder.”Ĥ. As managers arrive at the office earlier and depart later each day, their employees will mimic their schedules because they believe working longer hours is necessary to gain approval.ģ. Employees often believe that working longer hours means they’ll get more done.Ģ. Still keeping in mind that the focus should be on the work to be accomplished, not the hours worked, this move toward working longer hours has several contributing factors.ġ. The problem is that many companies focus only on the “hours worked” component, and that’s not the best metric for productivity. There are also other times with 7 hours are all that is needed. That means there are days when 10 hours are required. What makes today’s workplace successful, however, is not the total number of hours worked: instead, it’s about getting the job done. Salaried workers are hit the hardest, with a full 25% saying they log a grueling 60 hours per week, which equals working 12-hour days from Monday to Friday, or slightly shorter weekdays with much of the weekend also on the clock. That means each week on average we end up clocking an entire extra day of work.

Joe Staples: A recent Gallup poll found that the average American workweek, which has traditionally been 40 hours, now spans more than 47.

Kathy Caprino: Joe, how many Americans work overtime, and what are the key reasons for it?

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