Overtime work is not working.

I recently finished my MSc in United Kingdom, and returned to Pakistan to find work. Within the first week of my return, I managed to several interviews for jobs in different departments and industries. While all the companies gave some preference to my previous experience, qualifications and capabilities, one important question was given extensive focus, "What Do You Think About Working Overtime?. In fact, one of the employers went one step further and asked what is higher priority for me? My newly wed wife, and family; or work?

While I had prepared for all possible questions in the interview, these questions really surprised me. I was confused about how to share my honest views regarding overtime. I have recently finished a book by Timothy Ferris on '4 hour work week', and I know how my productivity levels work; hence I'm quite against overtime. Anyway, I responded to the overtime question in the interview with a cross-question about "What would be the indicators of my performance measurements, would it be the time I give in, or the work I produce?". As an answer to this, I was told the Quality of my work is what I'll be judged on, and that's how I officially joined the company on internship basis.

A week into my internship, I was told by my senior that I would have to stay for 3 more hours for the next 3 days after the closing hours. I felt that there is no necessary requirement for me to stay until later, but a test to see if I'd fit in the organisation where overtime is the highest priority. I denied to do over time, and requested to be given the work in the morning so that I can complete it during the day. While I finished my work within time, my employer gave me a hint of being unhappy, also my wife told me I shouldn't have denied, another internee that started the work with me told me how it is extremely important to do overtime to be successful. Sorry, but I disagreed with all three of them. My argument is simple and straightforward, if you make me stay at work until later, my productivity levels would be affected the forthcoming day. As a result, it is not beneficial for me, neither for my employer's business. Soon I went on to another job interview which is supported by Google, where the first information I was given was "You know that we're open on Saturdays, right?", followed by another question "Would you be okay with working 6 days a week?" After finding the fifth consecutive job interview that focused on overtime, I understood why my intern colleague told me over-time is extremely important to progress and get promotion; in contrast, I suggest it's the effectiveness and efficiency that it is important for progress. Hence, I decided to write about why Working Overtime May Not Be The Best Solution.

Overtime Vs Productivity in The Long Run

While putting extra efforts, and doing overtime occasionally upon requirement can help meet the deadline and help the business, but making it a usual habit can be very damaging in the long run for the individual, and the business as well. Daniel Cook's rules of productivity suggest that working for 60 hours a week can strongly reduce one's productivity level, for which recovery steps must be taken. Similarly, Sara Robinson argues on the basis of 150 year long study that every hour put in after 40 hours a week has reduction in efficiency and effectiveness. It is suggested that you loose sense of what you're doing past your muscular and mental capabilities. On the other hand, Adam Grant who's a professor at Wharton Business School suggests that relaxing breaks help us be more creative at work, hence working within time limits may not only increase productivity, but also creativity.

More is Less

Its studied that an employee working 60 hours a week may produce the same amount of work as an employee working 40 hours a week. How is it possible? Let me explain. Imagine you work 40 hours a week, making it 8 hour work shifts for 5 days; now this gives you enough time during the week, and the weekend to spend time with family, friends, to do your errands, get physical exercise, and fulfill your sleep requirements. Hence, you tend to be more satisfied with your current state, job, and lifestyle. This gives you enough break to start every week freshly, and with enough energy to last for the coming work week. Also, when you're satisfied with your job, you tend to perform better and put an extra effort. Now on the other side, imagine yourself doing 10-12 shifts for 6 days in a week, you get back home at 9:30pm and hardly have time to spend with the family or get enough sleep after having dinner. Moreover, you are unable to watch a show or read a book, which may limit your mind relaxation exercise. Now you're already tired on the new Monday from the last week's load, and your every new day suffers because of your yesterday! Also, I would never be satisfied with my life or job if this was my schedule for more than 2 months, regardless of how much I get paid. As a result, my effort into work would be reduced, and in the end business may suffer regardless of how much time I put in.

Why Do Businesses Still Do It?

Many businesses that continuously update themselves with management research, and results from the best of companies are changing their workplace policies continuously, with most of them enabling part-time teleworking in developed countries. However, there are always business that may claim to think about future, but are quite short-sighted in terms of planning managing their resource and effectiveness. The main three reasons I've found due to which companies keep damaging themselves in this regard are as following:

a) Inappropriate Measurement of Performance

Many businesses, and now also many employees themselves judge individual and collective performance on the time input, rather than tasks achieved, and qualities of those tasks. As I was told by a colleague intern that I cannot progress without doing overtime, I reminded myself that I can purely progress if my work stands out, instead of my working'time. When a business have inappropriate measures of performance, you often hear them say "Team is putting extra effort, and sitting long hours, but the work is complicated and tough" as an excuse to why the output is lacking behind, while in reality the team is usually Youtubing or Watching seasons during overtime, because they're not getting enough off time to do those things. Hence, alignment of performance indicators must be planned well, for greater output in the long run and real picture of the perceived effort can be seen in the work produced, and quality of it.

b) Misunderstanding between Time & Output

By prioritizing Time over Output, companies make the biggest mistake of punishing their most productive employees, which results in the appreciation of the laziest employees. If you remember your school days, in many situations when you finished work early, you were not allowed to leave the class but instead was burdened with more work; and as a result of this, you ended up slowing your progress to finish the work to avoid extra burden. Similarly, many companies do the same mistake by focusing on the time contributed. Even if an employee gets done with their work, he is burdened with as much more work as possible to fulfill the time/overtime requirements. As a result, many of the employees slow down their process, and reduce the outputs they produce. Instead, if effective work habits were appreciated by giving short breaks, or avoidance of overtime, it could encourage all other employees to be more productive and effective.

C) Poor Project Management

Many companies are over-ambitious while planning projects, which distracts them from a reality. As a consequence, their planned project times are much shorter than the time actually required. For example, inappropriate planning could result in committing 4 weeks deadline for a project, that requires 6 week. Now due to unrealistic promises of the project leadership, employees suffer by doing overtime and trying to finish the project earlier. In case the employees make it possible to complete it on the earlier timeline, the next project is then planned on the basis of how long it took the last project to finish, while ignoring the mismanagement that had occurred.

Be A Part Of The Solution

For Organisations

For people in leadership roles reading this should use their broad knowledge and experience to understand the long-term consequences of overtime, and use their influence to change management styles. A few steps are suggested to encourage productivity, and output over the time given.

• Encouraging Productive & Effective Behavior.
• Setting Appropriate Performance Measurements.
• Realistic Project Planning; include key employees in the planning process to understand the true picture.
• Measure Output.

For Employees

What I personally do is ask the employers during interview about what will my performance be measured on? Hardly anyone says Time, and usually employers use words of output, quality of work, the tasks finished, meeting deadlines. Hence, you can always remind them about performance indicators they set when they start judging you on the time you've put in. Another way to deal with overtime situation is requesting to set your salary based on per hour given, or work produced, rather than gross monthly salary. In this case, employers would have a burden of paying you more when you work for longer, hence they may be happier when you go home at the time you're supposed to go home. On the other hand, it is important that you produce good quality work in effective time period to be in a position to forward your demands. If you're giving your best in the 8 hours that you're supposed to work, then you have all rights to raise concern, and create a dialogue about overtime being unproductive. If you're not in a position where you can make demands, work until you have created enough value for yourself. If you've good relationship with your colleagues, create a dialogue among them, ask their opinions and try to make them think about it from a different perspective. If you've gained value in the eyes of managers, try creating a dialogue with them to make them understand, but NEVER BE THE PERSON THAT BELIEVE OVERTIME IS THE WAY TO BE, BECAUSE IT'S NOT. If you be that person, you're damaging yourself, and the business you're working for, in the end, you all will suffer.

A summary of suggested steps for employees are as following

• Ask employer, what is your performance judged on?
• Request to set per hour basis salary.
• Create dialogue with colleagues, and leadership.
• Never be a supporter of long term overtime.

Share your thoughts, opinions and arguments. :)

Written by Salman Parekh, e-Business & Marketing Expert.