Abstract
Studies have shown that a forty hours workweek is more productive; and workers are less stressed and happier.
We Should Return to Forty Hours Work Week
Gone are the days of slavery when slaves work week consisted of six days from sun-up to sun-down.day. America realizes that overworked people do not perform well consequently, it enacted laws that prevent employers from forcing any employee to work more than forty hours work week.
America has not always treated its labor force well; before forty hours per week law was enacted even children in America would work as many as twelve to sixteen hours per week. Of course employers do not really follow the labor laws; nonetheless it is there to protect the employees. However, employers are greedy and still try to squeeze as much as they can form their employees. Even with the labor laws most employees are afraid to report exploitation by their employers. Says Adam Pash (2012): “Any one of us could easily bring a case against the company but honestly how much longer do you think you would have a job after doing so? Sure, you wouldn't get fired for refusing to work overtime, but when your boss is motivated to get you out they can certainly make life hell for you.” )
There are many reports that have proven that more than forty hours work week does not improve productivity. Geoffrey James says that when Ford Motor searched for the most productive work week they discovered that more than forty hours slightly increased productivity but only for a few months, and that forty hours is the ideal work week for its employees. Jimmy Bogard also agrees with James he says that, it is a failure to work more than forty hours per week; failure to plan well, failure in management execrations, and a failure in communication. Bogart also goes on to say that after forty hours work week productivity decreases. Also Sara Robinson says: “ Every hour you work beyond 40 actually makes you "less effective and productive over both the short and the long haul" (2012
Forty hour work week do not only affect the employee; its impact is felt on the whole family. Many divorces are the result of not maintaining a forty hours per week work schedule. Sometimes in a house hold both parent uphold more than forty hours per week work schedule. Families no longer eat together nor communicate. Carol Devine says: “long working hours and irregular schedules mean more time away from family, less time from house hold food work, difficulty in maintaining a regular meal pattern, and less opportunity to participate in family meals” (Devine). In a family there is no activity that compares to eating together. Around the dinner table is where information is shared and ideas are exchanged. The family is like members of the body, one member’s trouble is everyone’s trouble.
A more than forty hours work week can have adverse effect on people’s health. People with heart problems and high blood pressure should not work anymore than forty hours per week they are not able to handle such stress. “Every hour you work beyond 40 actually makes you "less effective and productive over both the short and the long haul" (Robinson). A study that was done by a group of doctors and published in American Journal of Epidemiology, also testifies to the fact that overwork can lead to high blood pressure and stress and blow out to heart attack. “And long hours make us unhappy and unhealthy: The U.S. "is the most overworked nation in the developed world," and polls show that American employees are unhappier as a result” (The Week) “Americans are working longer hours than they have in decades, sacrificing their health, happiness and family lives, and all the data suggests that those extra hours are wasted -- resulting in hourly productivity losses that offsets the additional hours” (Doctorow 2012).
Clearly it is shown in other developed countries that happy employees aremore productive employees; despite America’s prosperity it has not yet recognized that happy workers are productive workers.
Bibliography
Bogard, J. (2012, November 14). Respect and the 40-hour work week [web log post]. Message posted to
Doctorow, Cory. “America’s 55 hour workweek’s ruin workers lives and don’t produceextra value of employees” posted to 55 hourworkweeks.
James, Geoffrey. (2012, April 24). Stop working more than 40 hours a week [web log post]. Message posted to
Pash, A. (2012, March 19). How many hours do you work per week? (Hint: If it's over 40, you may have a problem.). Message posted to
Robinson, S. (2012, March). Why we have to go back to a 40-hour work week to keep our sanity. Alter Net. pp.1-7Virtanen, M., Heikkila, K., Jokela, M., Ferrie, J.E., Batty, G.D., Vahtera, J., & Kivimaki, M. (2012). Long working hours and coronary heart disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis. American Journal of Epidemiology, 176, 586-596.
(2012) “Time to cap the workweek at 40 hours?” The Week posted to http:www.the week.com/article/index/Apr. 30, 2012
