Effects Of Working More Than 12 Hours A Day On A Regular Basis. Over time work and its effects - Research Paper Example

? Effects of working more than 12 hours a day on a regular basis Work-Life balance is one of the major talking points in the organizational world at present. Working more than twelve hours a day on regular basis will not only affect the physical and mental health of the worker, but also it can prevent the worker from fulfilling his other responsibilities with respect to family and society. Continuous over time work may reduce the productivity of the worker in the long run even though it may bring temporary gains to the organization and the worker. This paper analyses the effects of working more than 12 hours daily on a regular basis. Effects of working more than 12 hours a day on a regular basis Manpower shortage is one of the major problems in the organizational world at present. America, Britain and most of the other European countries are facing severe skilled manpower shortages even in critical sectors. At the same time the volume of work is increasing day by day. In order to solve this above problem, many of the prominent organizations in these countries are asking their employees to stay back and continue their work for another 4 to 6 hours daily as overtime. Globally, the regular working hours of an employee is fixed as eight hours under normal circumstances. It is because of the fact that a person needs ample rest daily in order to maintain his physical and mental health. “When people are spending more time working, they’re spending less time resting and getting things done in their personal lives” (Charron, 2002). However, organizations of the modern era are forgetting about it and asking their employees to work 4 to 6 hours overtime which is preventing the employees from achieving work-life balance. Former French president Jacques Chirac has pointed out that poor work-life balance arises from long and intense working hours which may enhance the productivity of the organizations; however, better productivity should not come at the expense of the quality of life and social cohesion (Bloom et al, 2006, p.5). Over time work and its effects One of the major complaints raised by the current employees is their inability to achieve work-life balancing. The over workload and overtime work on a regular basis prevent the employees from finding enough time for relaxation and other family and social activities. Man is a social animals rather than a machine. He has emotions, feelings and thoughts which he needs to express some way in order to maintain his physical and mental health. It is impossible for him to work like machines for a longer period. According to a study, employees working 60 or more hours posted a higher rate of injuries and other health problems (Concerns About Working Overtime May Be Misplaced, 2007). The frame of mind of the employees has an important role in controlling their performances in an organization. Majority of the employees hate overtime work even if it is scheduled for a single day. Everybody wants to take a break after the normal 8 hour work schedule in order to shed some of the stress developed during their work. More work means more stress for them. Many organizations have the false belief that overtime may improve the productivity of the workers and the organization. In fact, an employee may perform well only when he feels energetic both physically and mentally. Overtime work will exhaust his energy and he cannot keep certain level of performance continuously for longer periods. Moreover, regular overtime works or works more than 12 hours will destroy his productivity and his performance levels may get lesser and lesser as time passes. “Extended working hours and more than required time spent at work place paves way for health complaints and too much of stress that can lead to injuries like an accident when driving”(Johnsons, 2008). It is difficult for a worker to gather his concentration fully for doing something after a lengthy working hour in the organization. His body and mind will not combine properly at least for a temporary period after the overtime works in the organization. It is quite possible that he may face accidents or do unwise things after he leaves the organization which may cause severe damages to his physical and mental health. Proper sleep is necessary for all the human beings to maintain physical and mental strength. Regular overtime works will prevent the employee from sleeping well. Mental health will be drastically affected if a person failed to sleep properly for a longer period. “Heart diseases, fatigue, stress, depression, chronic infections, diabetes, back aches, general health complaints and death are some of the grievances one has to face while working late and for long” (Johnsons, 2008) “Financial rewards for working overtime (work-is-money mechanism) do not compensate the negative consequences of working overtime” (Working Overtime: When Does It Harm Well-being?, n. d). Many employees have the belief that overtime work may increase their financial rewards. It is a fact that the family expenses are skyrocketing day by day because of the changing life styles and economical problems. Everybody wants more money to meet their expenses. Overtime work is the selected as the best option by such people in order to make more money. However, they are unaware of the fact that their abilities and energies will be used up sooner than later while they engage in overtime work. A person who works only 8 hours per day may work for many years than a person who works more than 12 hours daily. In short, financial rewards which may come as part of overtime work will not last longer. Moreover the health problems generated as a result of continuous overtime work may increase the hospital expenses of the worker. In short, financial rewards obtained as a result of overtime work will not last longer and it is negligible when we compare the long term implications of continuous overtime work. “Productivity losses due to scheduled overtime are generally attributed to reasons such as fatigue, reduced safety, increased absenteeism, and low morale”(Rifat, 2007). Continuous overtime works may increase absenteeism. As mentioned earlier, it is difficult for a person to work like machines. Continuous overtime work may decrease his enthusiasm for work and he may take even unnecessary leaves. In the long run, the company will face less productivity and fewer performances from its employees if the overtime work scheduled continuously. Conclusions Continuous overtime work will destroy the physical and mental health of the workers. It may decrease the productivity of the workers in the long run. It may also prevent the workers from achieving work life balance. Continuous overtime work may prevent the workers from fulfilling his family and social commitments which may increase his stress level. In short, working more than 12 hours daily may bring short term benefits only to the organization and the workers. In the long run both the organization and the workers will suffer from that. References 1. Bloom, N, Kretschmer T and Van Reenen J. (2006). Work-Life Balance, Management Practices and Productivity. The London School of Economics and Political Science. Retrieved from http://www.stanford.edu/~nbloom/WorkLifeBalance.pdf 2. Concerns About Working Overtime May Be Misplaced, (2007). Retrieved from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/63328.php 3. Charron T (2002). The problem with working overtime. Retrieved from http://www.planningforfailure.com/post/1461931855/the-problem-with-working-overtime 4. Johnson C. (2008). The Effects of Working Long Hours. Retrieved from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1170456/the_effects_of_working_long_hours.html 5. Rifat, S ( 2007). Impact of occasional overtime on construction labor productivity: quantitative analysis. Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering Publisher: NRC Research Press. Retrieved from http://www.freepatentsonline.com/article/Canadian-Journal-Civil-Engineering/176818819.html 6. Working Overtime: When Does It Harm Well-being?, (n. d) Retrieved from http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/1/0/9/6/1/p109619_index.html Read More