Time spent laboring decreased by 37 minutes in the past year, but productivity levels have remained constant.
(Bloomberg) — The average workday shrank by 37 minutes in the past year and fewer people are pulling overtime shifts, possible indications that managers are increasingly mindful of work-life balance in the post-Covid era.
Time spent at work has fallen to 10 hours from more than 10 ½ at the end of the second quarter of 2022, according to a study by workforce-analytics firm ActivTrak Inc. But even though staffers are clocking in for shorter stretches, productivity hasn’t slipped, the company found in a study released on Tuesday. The research analyzed 38 million hours worked by more than 134,000 employees globally across industries like financial services, healthcare, insurance and professional services.
“What we’re seeing here is truly an efficiency gain,” said Gabriela Mauch, vice president of the ActivTrak Productivity Lab. The study also found a a dip in the number of overutilized employees, or those frequently working outside of regular business hours, to 28% from 32% a year earlier. That change may bode well for employees’ mental, physical and financial health.
Shorter workdays may mean that companies are listening to workers’ “cry for help as it relates to burnout,” Mauch said. Nonetheless, almost one-third of employees continue to log days that stretch beyond 10 hours, according to the study.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.