October - November 2001

Reader Poll  

Are We Working Too Many Hours?

by Terrance Malkinson

Not so long ago it was envisioned that technology would result in our working fewer hours, while enjoying a robust economy, full employment, and high quality of life. But recently it has been suggested that the information explosion and current economic slowdown have contributed to increasing the pressure on today's workers to learn more and produce more by working more. Do North Americans work too many hours and forego their well-earned vacations too often?

The Numbers Help Tell the Story

According to the International Labor Organization, the average American worker logs nearly 2,000 hours on the job each year. A survey released in May by the New York-based Families and Work Institute revealed that 25 percent of those surveyed said that they had passed up some vacation time because of job demands. A 1999 Travel Industry Association of America survey revealed that more than 50 percent of Americans under 25 said they didn't have time to take a vacation. This trend is not the case in other countries, however. In fact, the average number of work hours has been moving downward, while mandated time off is on the rise.

Do more hours translate to increased productivity? Do they contribute to creative and innovative thought? Do you think the tendency to work more — and even think about it more — affects our quality of life?

Is It Time to Take a Stand?

Should workers assert themselves by working a more reasonable number of hours and taking more vacation? Might "job-sharing" or "flex-time" serve as better employment models? Should time off be given as compensation for high performance? Would time management, assertion and relaxation training help American workers? What constructive advice would you give to those who feel pressured to work extra hours?

President George W. Bush took a month-long vacation in August and the nation survived. Queen Elizabeth also did so, and England and the Commonwealth survived. Perhaps we should consider following their examples.

Terrance Malkinson is a proposal manager/documentation specialist with GE Capital IT Solutions Inc.