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Winding Down the 
Workweek 
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. 
The American Workhorse 
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. 
UNITED 
KINGDOM 
80 
70 
60 
50 
40 
30 
20 
10 
Typical rationale says longer hours 
bring more productivity, but new 
research tells a di…erent story. 
0 
1,200 1,400 1,600 1,800 2,000 2,200 2,400 2,600 2,800 
SPAIN 
GDP Per Hour Worked (USS, 2005 PPP) 
KOREA 
Hourly Productivity 
GREECE 
To better understand the relationship between these two metrics, let’s examine various countries’ 
relationships between annual hours worked and productivity. 
0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 
Annual Hours Worked 
*Productivity is measured by Annual Hours Worked ÷ Country GDP. 
GERMANY 
FRANCE 
UNITED STATES 
RUSSIA 
GREECE 
SOUTH KOREA 
$49.30 
$49.13 
$56.18 
$15.49 
$28.47 
$26.22 
Short Workweeks Across the World 
Productivity aside, employees with shorter work hours are more loyal and sušer less stress and illness. 
They also tend to be more productive, hour-for-hour. 
36 
34 
35 
36 
33 
35 
35 
29 
36 
33 
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 Economist 
Washington Post | NY Times | CNN Money 
Hours Worked Per Person Engaged 
Be Ruthless About 
Prioritizing Tasks 
First focus on items 
and tasks that make 
or break your business. 
Not all tasks are 
created equal. 
PLAN 
Don’t Start Anything 
Without a Plan First 
The 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 About 
How Many Gains You 
Can Really Make 
Dream big and have 
goals, but temper 
your long-term 
ambitions with 
short-term realism. 
Invest in Help 
Trying 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 Protect 
Time for Yourself 
Schedule personal 
time to keep yourself 
healthy, maintain 
important relationships 
outside of work, and 
follow passions that 
aren’t related 
to your job. 
DENMARK 
FRANCE 
JAPAN 
PORTUGAL 
SWEDEN 
UNITED 
STATES 
Annual Working Hours Per Person Engaged (2012) 
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. 
MEXICO 
Productivity 
$44.00 
$14.46 
OECD AVG. 
Working Smarter, Not Longer 
ITALY 
hours 
IRELAND 
hours 
SWITZERLAND 
hours 
SWEDEN 
hours 
DENMARK 
hours 
BELGIUM 
hours 
GERMANY 
hours 
NETHERLANDS 
hours 
AUSTRALIA 
hours 
NORWAY 
hours

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Infographic: Winding Down the Workweek

  • 1. Winding Down the Workweek 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. The American Workhorse 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. UNITED KINGDOM 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 Typical rationale says longer hours bring more productivity, but new research tells a di…erent story. 0 1,200 1,400 1,600 1,800 2,000 2,200 2,400 2,600 2,800 SPAIN GDP Per Hour Worked (USS, 2005 PPP) KOREA Hourly Productivity GREECE To better understand the relationship between these two metrics, let’s examine various countries’ relationships between annual hours worked and productivity. 0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 Annual Hours Worked *Productivity is measured by Annual Hours Worked ÷ Country GDP. GERMANY FRANCE UNITED STATES RUSSIA GREECE SOUTH KOREA $49.30 $49.13 $56.18 $15.49 $28.47 $26.22 Short Workweeks Across the World Productivity aside, employees with shorter work hours are more loyal and sušer less stress and illness. They also tend to be more productive, hour-for-hour. 36 34 35 36 33 35 35 29 36 33 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 Economist Washington Post | NY Times | CNN Money Hours Worked Per Person Engaged Be Ruthless About Prioritizing Tasks First focus on items and tasks that make or break your business. Not all tasks are created equal. PLAN Don’t Start Anything Without a Plan First The 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 About How Many Gains You Can Really Make Dream big and have goals, but temper your long-term ambitions with short-term realism. Invest in Help Trying 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 Protect Time for Yourself Schedule personal time to keep yourself healthy, maintain important relationships outside of work, and follow passions that aren’t related to your job. DENMARK FRANCE JAPAN PORTUGAL SWEDEN UNITED STATES Annual Working Hours Per Person Engaged (2012) 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. MEXICO Productivity $44.00 $14.46 OECD AVG. Working Smarter, Not Longer ITALY hours IRELAND hours SWITZERLAND hours SWEDEN hours DENMARK hours BELGIUM hours GERMANY hours NETHERLANDS hours AUSTRALIA hours NORWAY hours