The American Workhorse

Hourly Productivity

Short Workweeks Across the World

The lines have blurred between work hours and personal time. Work emails, schedules, and documents are accessible (even editable) on mobile devices—bringing the workplace to anywhere with an Internet connection. But does working more hours

mean more productivity? According to data by the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) and The Economist,

it actually means the exact opposite.

In the United States, the 40-hour workweek is often overlooked and disregarded.Employers might view employees who put in 40 hours a week as lazy or unmotivated.

Here’s a look at hours worked on an annual basis.

To better understand the relationship between these two metrics, let’s examine various countries’ relationships between annual hours worked and productivity.

For those of us still on the 40-hour workweek schedule, here are some helpful tips to make sure your productivity levels stay ahead of the curve.

Work Hours, by Country

Work Hours/Productivity Correlation

Which Countries are Most Productive?

Sources:INC.com | Fast Company | Business Insider | The EconomistWashington Post | NY Times | CNN Money

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

1,200 1,400 1,600 1,800 2,000 2,200 2,400 2,600 2,800

GD

P Pe

r Hou

r Wor

ked

(USS

, 20

05

PPP)

Hours Worked Per Person Engaged

Be Ruthless AboutPrioritizing TasksFirst focus on items and tasks that make or break your business. Not all tasks are created equal.

PLAN

Don’t Start AnythingWithout a Plan FirstThe biggest time-waster is redoing a task that wasn’t done right the first time. Creating a strategy at the forefront will make execution more e�cient.

Be Realistic AboutHow Many Gains YouCan Really MakeDream big and have goals, but temper your long-term ambitions with short-term realism.

Invest in HelpTrying to do everything yourself is another way of ignoring priorities. Get the help you need, and train people to do the job the way it should be done.

Carve Out and ProtectTime for YourselfSchedule personal time to keep yourself healthy, maintain important relationships outside of work, and follow passions that aren’t relatedto your job.

Typical rationale says longer hours bring more productivity, but new research tells a di�erent story.

DENMARK

FRANCE

GREECE

JAPAN

KOREA

PORTUGAL

SPAIN

SWEDEN

UNITEDKINGDOM

UNITEDSTATES

Ann

ual W

orki

ng H

ours

Per

Per

son

Enga

ged

(20

12) 3,000

2,500

2,000

1,500

1,000

500

0

MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN

Although correlation doesn’t equal causation, the relationship between hours worked and productivity indicates longer hours might not result in more productivity..

Overall, productivity and disposable income seem to increase, as annual hours worked decrease.

*Productivity is measured by Annual Hours Worked ÷ Country GDP.

0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500

Annual Hours Worked

MEXICO

SOUTH KOREA

GREECE

RUSSIA

UNITED STATES

FRANCE

GERMANY

Productivity

$44.00

$14.46

$26.22

$28.47

$15.49

$56.18

$49.13

$49.30

OECD AVG.

Working Smarter, Not Longer

Productivity aside, employees with shorter work hours are more loyal and su�er less stress and illness. They also tend to be more productive, hour-for-hour.

ITALY

hours

36

IRELAND

hours

34

SWITZERLAND

hours

35

SWEDEN

hours

36

DENMARK

hours

33

BELGIUM

hours

35

GERMANY

hours

35

NETHERLANDS

hours

29

AUSTRALIA

hours

36

NORWAY

hours

33

Winding Down theWorkweek

Winding Down theWorkweek