Dubai: Reading the news, checking your WhatsApp messages or a quick peek at your Instagram timeline. These could be some of the things you might be doing at work to take a short break. It turns out, you aren’t alone.
According to the US-based Bureau of Labour Statistics, the average American works 8.8 hours every day. Yet, most people aren’t truly working for most of the time. In fact, the study shows that only three hours are productive. Gulf News readers, however, believe that the quality of work is important, not quantity.
Mohammad Farhan Khan, a Pakistan mechanical engineer based in Sharjah, is at work for about nine to ten hours in a day, but in his opinion, only about five of those are truly productive. He believes that an ideal work day shouldn’t be longer than six hours.
He said: “An office usually requires you to be physically present, just in case they need you for some work. So, we leave work at 8pm instead of 5pm.”
He believes it is necessary for people to have a balance of work and personal time. When he leaves work, sometimes after a 12-hour shift, he gets only three hours to spend with his family. He hopes that if he spends eight hours at work, there should be eight hours to spend with family and eight hours of sleep — an equally divided day.
He said: “In shorter working hours, we could concentrate on work in that time completely. After five or six hours of work, we get distracted and cannot work with full energy levels. Breaks are a must. Instead of just a one-hour lunch break, we should get three.”
He also wishes that employees’ performances were measured based on the amount of work they do, not the amount of time they spend in the office.
Heather Wright, a British college lecturer based in Abu Dhabi, agrees with Khan’s perspective, but also believes that good quality work does require a good amount of time to produce.
She said: “It doesn’t happen by magic and there are plenty of slackers around who would love to take advantage of the chance of less monitoring.”
She has an eight-hour work day, but only five of those are productive. An ideal workplace, she believes, would be one where people would be trusted to do the job without constant monitoring.
She said: “We are over monitored at work and this creates resentment amongst the highly professional and qualified workforce. They lose the good will of the staff. Shorter work hours would be helpful, only if the workload is also lightened.”
Sebastian Tan, a Singaporean project manager based in Dubai, works an average of 10 hours a day, even though he is working as a freelancer, but is truly productive for only around six hours. He admits to spending some time watching the news during the day. However, shorter work hours is not the solution for him.
He said: “Many people tend to take advantage or give more excuses to reduce their work responsibilities. But, I am old school and will judge someone based on quality of work and not time spent in the office, which can be unproductive.”
Rosa Bullock, founder and PR guru at a Dubai-based company, has to do a “lot of running around”, which usually takes about 12 hours every day. However, in her opinion, a person is truly productive when he or she is sitting down and concentrating, which happens for around three hours for her.
She said: “The first company I worked for, I had to check in and out. I don’t believe in micromanaging. On Thursdays, we finish work at 4pm because it is the end of the week. If you are in till 6pm, you will not be working.”
As the manager, she doesn’t track her employee’s hours, including their breaks. If someone is constantly micromanaging, the employees won’t feel motivated, she believes.
She said: “In an ideal scenario shorter work hours are good. We spend time going to meetings. So, this means shorter period of time spent at the desk. Employees should be given the freedom to choose a different approach. For example, one member of my staff finishes a task quickly. But, she’s awesome at what she does.”
According to a report published by the US National Library of Medicine, working 12 hours in a day was associated with a 37 per cent increased hazard rate. Another study conducted by the Finland-based Finnish Institute of Occupational Health states that getting less sleep due to long working hours, combined with a sedentary life, puts us at an increased risk of heart diseases.
Annabel Lynch, a health coach at Valiant Clinic in Dubai, explains that working long hours could affect many dimensions of our health, including physical health, nutrition, relationships, stress management and well-being.
She said: “Sometimes, working long hours is difficult to avoid. It is important that people learn how to integrate health promoting behaviours into their daily lives.”
One of the things that she recommends focusing on is sitting for long hours at a desk, which is “bad for your health”. She advises people to take time during the day to move around, such as taking a walk during the lunch break or using the stairs instead of the elevator.
She said: “Long hours can reduce the time an individual has available for exercising. Try to establish a time that works for you. Evaluate how you can improve your workstation to reduce injury.”
Additionally, many people working long hours find it easy to “skip dinner” or opt for a quick meal. Lynch recommends eating a balanced diet with “plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables”.
She said: “Recent research has highlighted that the reason behind the long working hours is an important determining factor on whether it will impact a person’s health. For example, if a person is working long hours because they enjoy their job and it helps them feel fulfilled, they are less likely to experience negative health effects.”
