Office workers in these economies clock up the most extra hours
Wednesday, May 22, 2019 IST
Most people will have stayed late at work to finish urgent tasks or might even have pulled an all-nighter to hit a really tight deadline. When those occasions are the exception rather than the norm, there’s little lasting harm done by working extra, unpaid hours. But in some organizations, there is an expectation that everyone will work beyond their contracted hours as a matter of course.
This can lead to a culture where people who leave on time are regarded as disloyal or showing a lack of commitment. Even if this attitude doesn’t exist among senior managers, there may be one or two individuals who make a point of staying later than everyone else in a public display of dedication. But presenteeism, as it is sometimes called, can be damaging to people’s health, productivity and wellbeing.
A global research project undertaken by the insurance services group, Maxis GBN, found that workers in the UAE spend more time at work beyond their contracted hours than anywhere else in the world.
Each month,
a typical worker in the UAE is likely to clock up an extra 24 hours at work and 71% of them feel their workplace suffers from presenteeism. The United States and Hong Kong come second, with 23.2 additional hours worked per month. French workers, despite their famous workplace protections and employee rights, aren’t far behind with 22.4 extra hours per month.
Regardless of which country they were in, respondents to the survey said culture was important when considering a new job – 82% said they consider it important and 58% rate culture as very important.
Last year, research from the UK’s
Chartered Institute of Personnel Management found that 86% of UK workers had observed presenteeism in their organization over the preceding 12 months, up from 72% in 2016. In 2010 that figure had been just 26%. The same research found 55% of respondents had reported an increase in anxiety, depression and other common mental health conditions, up from 41% in 2016. As well as blighting lives, depression and anxiety combined
cost the global economy $1 trillion every year in lost productivity.
While working an hour or so extra every day isn’t likely to bring on karoshi (death from lack of sleep), the cumulative effects can still be extremely harmful. From denying people opportunities for a healthy work/life balance and fostering a culture of only the strong survive, the net effect can be to trigger a range of stress-related problems. Those, in turn, can soon metastasize into more serious mental health problems such as depression or anxiety.
Productivity also suffers from such workplace cultures. For although there are obvious gains when people stay long enough to finish their tasks, over time, tired and disaffected staff start to under-perform. Those who suffer longer-term depression-related illnesses are likely to need time off work, too. Ultimately people will be more inclined to leave if they feel things are unlikely to improve, triggering the cost of hiring and training new staff.
Creating workplaces that support wellbeing could call for significant changes to some organizational cultures.
Related Topics
Related News & Articles
How to retire at 40: Everybody wants to enjoy a relaxed life or live on their own terms. Some millennials plan to retire early. So much so that retiring at 40 has b...
Recently posted . 647 views . 2 min read
A news agency quoted emergency hospital officials saying at least 50 people were wounded in the explosion
Recently posted . 635 views . 1 min read
The new reality that occupiers are tolerating is circulated working environment examples and cross breed workplaces
Recently posted . 668 views . 1 min read
With coronavirus a major threat to business premises today, it is very important to do whatever it takes to protect yourself, staff, and customers. One of the best ...
Recently posted . 522 views . 3 min read
When you’re buckling down to get through a hefty to-do list, the environment that you’re in has a huge impact on your ability to concentrate and work ef...
Recently posted . 640 views . 4 min read
Trending News & Articles
ALMATY: Hour upon hour, day upon day, Omir Bekali and other detainees in far western China's new indoctrination camps had to disavow the...
Recently posted . 191K views . 1 min read
If you have payed attention to the belly buttons of people on the beach or the members of your family, you have probably noticed that they have different shapes and...
Recently posted . 8K views . 2 min read
In this age of terror, there might be nothing more terrifying than the thought of an attack carried out with chemical weapons. We’ve all heard the horrific ...
Recently posted . 3K views . 4 min read
Body fitness is one thing that everyone wants to maintain irrespective of age. Going to the gym and doing some great exercise always helps to maintain your body fit...
Recently posted . 3K views . 2 min read
More in Global
NEW YORK: Many economists consider the financial crisis of 2008 to be the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. According to Bill G...
Recently posted. 577 views . 1 min read
जहाँ एक पंद्रह साल का लड़का स्टोर से चोरी करता हुआ पकड़ा गया, गार्ड की गिरफ्त से भागने की कोशिश में उससे स्टोर का एक शेल्फ भी टूट गया। पुलिस ने उसे गिरफ्तार करके न...
Recently posted. 165 views . 1 min read
Among the glorious zodiac squad, there are signs who lash out or shut down when they are under stress? Find out what your sign deals with it!
Recently posted. 843 views . 1 min read
Recently posted . 740 views
Recently posted . 667 views
Recently posted . 1K views
Recently posted . 1K views
Recently posted . 1K views . 52 min read
Recently posted . 1K views . 99 min read
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Wednesday, the anniversary of the astronaut's return to Earth, that the crew hit the atmosphere at 25,000 mph, creating ...
Recently posted. 534 views . 2 min read
China has another entry when it comes to buildings that look suspiciously like something else - a 12-storey university block strongly resembling a giant toilet....
Recently posted. 671 views . 11 min read