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It seems like study after study shows that longer working hours don't result in long term productivity increases, but managers aren't listening. Is this an exam
by minikites 12y ago
It seems like study after study shows that longer working hours don't result in long term productivity increases, but managers aren't listening. Is this an example of market failure or is there more going on?
- thenipper 12y agoMy guess is it is people trusting their 'gut' over a study. Working long hours looks impressive. If you stay late or come in early you look like a team player who is willing to put in the extra effort. Whether or not that effort is actually valuable is immaterial, the appearance is what matters. Call me cynical but I'd imagine that drives a lot of these overworked schedules.
- Zaephyr 12y agoMy family had a manufacturing business employing ~100 people. When orders spiked, we found the performance gain from working overtime was consistently short term. Much beyond 3-4 weeks wasn't worth the effort and expense, and a decision to add additional people or extend delivery dates had to be made. That's not to say we couldn't get additional production out, it just did horrible things to the our cost structure. I think what you're getting at is the belief that working longer is equal to harder.