Do you often end up keeping yourself busy at the end of the workday simply because all the work has been done? You need to stay till the end and complete your shift though instead of getting home earlier and being productive there or spending time with your family.
But what if that’s not the most effective way to spend your time as an employee?
1. Working longer hours doesn’t make employees efficient.
If your boss is a bit old-fashioned, chances are he or she doesn’t follow current trends in your field or check out research on employee performance, health and productivity.
Because if they did, they’d find out what longer hours spent in the office actually ruin performance.
The very first thing your boss needs to know in order to let you work less is to understand that the number of hours you spend working isn’t actually related to the amount of work you’ll get done.
It’s a universal rule. You can get everything done for the time given to you, doesn’t matter if it’s work, study better or accomplishing your daily activities.
Your boss might find it interesting that the workday in Sweden is 6 hours and the benefits of that are plenty. The country is also among those with the highest quality of life, so they must know what they are doing.
The 6-hour workday idea is not new, it just hasn’t been adopted everywhere. It’s based on Parkinson’s Law, which states that “work expands to fill the time available for its completion”.
Being given fewer hours to complete your tasks also gives you a certain type of pressure that makes you more efficient and helps you be more productive.
2. Overworking is bad for your health.
We’re all tired at the end of the workday. And yet, we need to stay till the last minute and do some work, then go home and do this all over again the next day. A lifestyle like that leads to experiencing burnout and the consequences can be quite bad.
Such exhaustion (both mental and physical) can result in accidents, making mistakes at work, sleep problems, health issues, and having to take some time off work.
All of this will then require you to deal with the consequences for a long time before you get back on track. Both your company and your family are going to suffer because of this.
3. Shorter working day improves employee well-being.
When employees are given enough downtime, they can relax and leave their problems behind, do things they enjoy and spend time with loved ones.
That also leads to increased job satisfaction and can actually attract better workers to the company.
Let your boss know that you would come energized at work after you’ve left earlier the previous day. All this affects your health and levels of happiness, and no one wants sick, tired or miserable employees at the office.
25.7 million hours have been lost due to ill or stressed workers. Maybe that can make your employer consider if his company too isn’t wasting precious time because of this, or whether the employees aren’t having stress-related issues or simply less time to enjoy the pleasures of life.
Good luck in taking care of your work-life balance!