Working Longer, Working Smarter?

The TUC recently announced that 5 million employees are working unpaid over time in the UK; this is an increase on the 2006 figures of 103,000. The average overtime worked each week is 7 hours 6 minutes, rising to 7 hours and 54 minutes in London. According to Brendan Barber (TUC General Secretary) “Britain’s long hours culture is enjoying a renaissance”. (1)

So is this good news for business? Employees are working longer for no extra cash – at first glance it may seem quite a good deal. However, a look at some of the costs of the long hours culture suggests otherwise.

As mentioned in a previous article the number of days lost through sickness absence as a direct result of stress stood at 13.8 million in 2006/7 – this equates to approximately 30.2 days lost per stress related absence. (2)

Added to days lost through illness are a range of other findings that demonstrate that overworked, stressed out staff do not perform effectively, lose motivation and commitment, have a negative perception of their organisation and indeed leave! Previous research findings include:

• 61% of employees reported a negative consequence in their personal life as a direct result of working longer hours (Mental Health Trust, 2003) (3)
  
  
• Correlations have been identified between working long hours and the amount of time spent worrying about work related issues in personal time. (Mental Health Trust, 2003) (3)
  
  
• 80% of workers feel that they cannot cope with the demands placed on them at times (24-7 Survey, 2007) (4)
  
  
• Workers who are stressed are nine times more likely to make a mistake than those that are not. (24-7 Survey, 2007) (4)
  
  
• Working long hours is not helping productivity – the UK still has lower productivity levels than Germany, France and the United States (5)
  

So in all it would seem that if we are to be effective, productive and well we may need to find different ways of working – both as organisations and individuals. The future will require us to work smarter rather than harder!

References:
1. Figures from TUC research. Available at: www.tuc.org.uk/work_life/tuc-11180-f0.cfm>
2. Health and Safety Executive. Available at: www.hse.gov.uk/stress/why.htm.
3. Whose life is it anyway? Report on the findings of the Mental Health Foundation. Available at: .Whose life is it anyway?>
4. Working Flat out and Feeling Fed Up - Summary results for the 24-7 Survey 2007.
Available at: ”http://www.worklifebalancecentre.org/main-epr-mar07.pdf”
5. Policy Analysis – UK productivity during the Blair Era. – Available at: ”http://cep.lse.ac.uk/briefings/pa_uk_productivity.pdf”

Why Women Cry at Work

An exploratory study investigating the reasons why women cry at work has been presented at the British Psychological Society's 2008 Division of Occupational Psychology Conference. The research, undertaken by Yasmin Yaghmour and Dr. Gail Kinman of the University of Bedfordshire, found that the reasons for women crying at work include:

• Feeling out of control

• Feeling vulnerable due to a build up of stress

• Being overwhelmed by feelings of disappointment, frustration and anger

The study also suggests that women make great effort to avoid crying at work, especially when in public facing roles.

Women reported feeling ashamed when they did cry in the workplace, perceiving that it reinforces negative stereotypes and makes them appear weak or incompetent to colleagues. Ms. Yaghmour goes on to state that "feeling empowered and in control in the workplace seems vital for women to feel professional and competent".

The research is another interesting finding that relates to the emerging body of work examining the links between work, emotional labour and well-being.

Management competencies to prevent and manage workplace stress

Recent research undertaken by the HSE and CIPD suggests that there are competency based behaviours that managers should develop to prevent and manage stress within their teams and organisations.

Phase 1 of the research identified 19 competencies that, when exhibited by managers, prevent and mediate stress within teams. Initial findings from phase 2 of the study have now refined these initial competencies into four main areas:

• Managing Emotions

• Managing and communicating existing and future work

• Managing difficult situations

• Managing individuals within the team.

This emerging research highlights the importance of the manager’s ability to identify and respond to their team effectively. Positive engagement with the four competency areas both prevents as well as reduces reported stress within teams.

The bottom line

In 2006 -2007 a total of 13.8 million working days were lost due to work-related stress, depression and anxiety (source HSE: http://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/why.htm ) - the cost to business being huge.

Investment in developing competencies in managers that both prevent and mediate stress within the workplace reduces the cost of sickness absence, increases motivation, morale and productivity and reduces staff turnover - all of which impact heavily on the bottom line and thus profitability.



Phase 1 of the research is available from:
www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/rr553.htm

For further information regarding management development and competencies please email enquiries@optimiset-d.co.uk