web viewby analyzing data received from a survey, this research project is an effort to gain an...

Changing the American Work Week11/18

Attn: Professor O’BrienGavin Cotton

Table of Content

1. Executive Summary2. Definitions3. Introduction4. Literature Review5. Methodology6. Findings/ Data7. Conclusion8. Recommendations9. Appendices

10. Bibliography

Executive Summary

Americans are the hardest working businessmen and women in the world. Increasing

work demands also increases the rate of burnout, and the factors resultant of such. The

business environment is increasing faster-paced with the addition of newer and more efficient

technologies. By analyzing data received from a survey, this research project is an effort to gain

an understanding to the issues surrounding Employee Health, issues relating to changing the

forty hour work week, and provide insight to employee feelings on the subject.

A business looking to adopt a four day work week will be one that is attempting to work

with its employees to create change in anxiety levels and to produce a more efficient and

productive working environment. Benefits will include resource allocation, lowering levels of

employee dissatisfaction in relation to their jobs, as well as provide more opportunities to work

in non-profits and volunteering outfits. Many employees look to their employers to be

outstanding members of society, and when firms have mandatory volunteering work, their

employees are generally happier to do additional work.

The research project will start off with the executive summary, followed by the key

definitions required. The introduction will explain the validity of the research, as well as state

the thesis statement. Following this, a review of literature and other research that has already

been conducted on this topic. Then the methodology section will provide background

information regarding the survey used and the methods of observation. The results and a copy

of the survey can be found here. The Results section will encompass the questions asked, as

well as a graphical analysis of those questions. The questions will be defined and explained, so

as to provide additional information on the topic.

The methodology of the research project will be detailed below, along with the inclusion

of the survey given, as well as varying degrees of statistical analysis of the answers received

from the sample. Then, the project’s limitations and biases will be defined. The last section

includes the appendices and works cited pages.

Definitions

1. Overtime: working an exempt job at over the weekly rate of forty hours.

2. Burnout: a key indicator of employee dissatisfaction, potential turnover and reduced

feeling personal achievement.

3. Myocardial infracture: also known as cardiac arrest.

4. Overtime: working forty or more hours in an exempt classified job.

5. Absenteeism: employees not having a valid reason for missing work.

Introduction

Americans work longer hours than any other nation in the world. Perhaps it is the

motive of America to accomplish as much as possible in the smallest amount of time. However,

there is a significant relationship between working over forty hours a week and serious health

issues. Myocardial infraction, emotional exhaustion, mental and physical stress, anxiety and

poor sleep, could be caused by being overworked. These discoveries are important to how

effective the American economy will be in the future. For example, absenteeism has been

proven to be resultant of job dissatisfaction, overworking, and general stress. With findings

showing an increase in the complaints of workers, the time to change for the healthier is here.

This research study was designed to discover the general population’s views on the subject, and

to provide analysis for change in society. Defining the objectives of the research project is

important to identifying key information for which the sample will be surveyed. Finding the

right applicants for this survey will be important to determining the viability of such a shift.

These questions helped define the scope of the project.

1. What factors into employee satisfaction?

2. What causes burnout in employees?

3. How would a four day schedule benefit a company’s culture?

4. Why are national indicators showing a trend in employee job dissatisfaction?

Burnout is resultant of many things that are linked to overworking. Work demands

increasing, physical and mental stress due to business requirements and general unhappiness in

the workplace all result in increased burnout rates. Possible remedies to these concerns can be

found in a compressed work week schedule. The benefits of adapting a proposed four day

schedule would be numerous, including the decrease in employee burnout.

Our society is being overworked, and a solution to this problem would be adapting a

different work schedule. “A proposed solution to these problems is the adaptation of a four day

work week, with ten hour days as per the norm of eight. This could lead to increased access to

valuable customer support, earning full pay, even with Friday’s off, increased flexibility for

employees, alleviation of traffic concerns, reduced mandatory overtime, reduction in

absenteeism, turnover rates and employee health concerns, and increased control over

personal and family responsibilities. All these characteristics will improve employee satisfaction

in their jobs, leading to increased personal achievement, and a generally happier work

environment.”

Society’s trend in employee dissatisfaction could be resultant of many different things.

For example, employees often have issues with their commutes. Having 3 hours of daily

commute can affect not only a person’s mental capacity, but can physically drain them of

valuable energy. One characteristic of adopting a four day work week would be saving

employee’s hours of time, which in itself will ensure the business remains as efficient as

possible.

Literature Review

Today’s modern work week is comprised of five regular, eight hour work days. Many

studies and sources have found increased workloads across the typical work week to lead to

significant health problems, increased job dissatisfaction, reduced employee efficiency and

productivity, significant data relating job dissatisfaction to general unhappiness and turnover,

and abnormal stress and anxiety levels. For these reasons, it is in the best interests of the

business world to try and limit these problems associated with overworking, and therefore

increase employee satisfaction in relation to their jobs, increase employee efficiency, reduce

absenteeism, improve general safety and so on. A proposed solution to this problem is

compressing the week into four days as opposed to five.

A four day work week provides extended hours per day, with a day off at the end of the

week. For many employees, this would allow more work to be accomplished by the time they

leave at the end of the day. According to Money.CNN.com, employees from Reussler Design

that transitioned to a four day work week did more productive work, had fewer mandatory

overtime days, could concentrate longer on projects without as many distractions, are generally

happier employees, which leads to increased retention, morale and productivity. These benefits

typically highlight the positive changes resultant from compressing the work week, and they are

becoming more and more popular choices for not only the private sector, but the public sector

as well.

Many explanations are given for why employees are dissatisfied with their jobs. For

some, it may be due to having too much work. When an employee has to bring home work

from their jobs, it interferes with time off, time that could be spent with family. Without

sufficient time spent with their families, employees are often put at an increased risk of missing

out on personal and corporate responsibility. According to a study from Cornell University,

transitions to a four day work week are helpful for a multitude of reasons, such as extended

customer service desk hours ( for four days of the week), energy savings, alleviation of traffic

concerns, and an additional day off for employees without pay docks. These all contribute to

employee satisfaction, which would otherwise prove to be a detriment to a business’

productivity.

A Work Options article highlights many of the positives for employees of transitioning to

a four day work week. Many employees would greatly enjoy a three day weekend, having

Fridays off to spend time with their families. If employees need to commute to work, they are

able to avoid many of the traffic concerns by leaving later/arriving earlier, and by avoiding

traffic, your car or method of transportation will work more efficiently; saving gas and limiting

wear-and-tear. These positive changes will result in a happier employee who will work harder,

more efficiently, show more appreciation for coworkers and have increased morale.

According to Wikipedia’s definition of job satisfaction, that is that work is a “pleasurable

or positive state resulting from the appraisal of one’s job or job experiences”. Factors regarding

an employee’s job satisfaction range from communication, benefits, nature of industry,

personal achievement, and relationships with management. Psychology plays a large part in

leading an employee to satisfaction, which is hard to survey but has been proven to have an

increased role when their quality of life is low. Since 1930’s, there have been many studies

aimed at employee happiness and their effects on the economy. The measurements of job

satisfaction are measured through either the Brief Index of Affective Job Satisfaction, or the Job

Descriptive Index. These are surveys a business can provide their employees to gauge how

significant job satisfaction might be playing in their day to day operations. Job satisfaction has

also been found to play a large role in organizational citizenship, detrimental behaviors such as

absenteeism and turnover, and may have a role in potential deviant work behaviors.

Increased work load in the United States has been linked to cause significant increases

in possible health risks. These health risks include but are not limited to; Myocardial Infraction,

emotional exhaustion, mental and physical stress, anxiety and poor sleep. These health risks are

cause for potential hospitalization or death relating to cardiovascular health problems.

Emotional exhaustion, as defined by Russell Cropanzano of the University of Colorado in

Boulder, is a chronic state of physical and emotional depletion that results from excessive job

demands and continuous hassles. Myocardial Infraction, or heart attack, affects roughly 1.5

million Americans each year, putting employees that are working longer hours and more days

at an increased health risk for heart attack.

The purpose of this literature review is to determine the viability of compressing today’s

society’s work week in an effort to increase job satisfaction of employees, prevent significant

health risks, reduce employee turnover rates, reduce missed work due to absenteeism and

deviant behavior, increase productivity and efficiency, and increase managerial control.

Methodology

Methods used throughout the research project include the application of the scientific

process, scientific reporting, surveys aimed at employees who work over forty hours a week,

and statistical analysis of data. The survey was conducted Monday, November 9th, across the

span of an hour. The location was the Museum of Fine Arts Stop on Huntington Avenue.

Preferred sample targets were businessmen and women, but was offered to everyone

interested. A total of 17 interviewees answered the survey.

The purpose of this survey was to gauge the average employee’s satisfaction with how

their current work week is organized. Applicants showed personal interest, because the topic

affected their day to day lives. Assuming one’s interest also showed credibility, data received

can accurately assess employee’s perception of the issue at hand. By defining a general sample,

that of business men and women, one could hope to isolate variables that might otherwise

corrupt data. By avoiding families and the elderly visiting the museum, the interviewer was able

to collect valuable data through observation and analysis. The survey offered can be found

below.

The methodologies used were important to document, as it allowed the knowledge

gleaned from the sample survey as well secondary data from the literature review to seamlessly

incorporate all of the information on the subject. By having a well detailed work plan, the

methods could be all inclusive, and can provide guidance to potential managers looking to

change up the way their business operates.

Survey Questions

1. On a scale of 1 to 5 one being the lowest and five being the highest, how satisfied are you

with your current employment?

No 1 2 3 4 5 Yes

2. Do you work forty hours or more a week?

No 1 2 3 4 5 Yes

3. On a scale of 1 to 5 with one being very easy and five being very hard, how manageable is

your workload?

No 1 2 3 4 5 Yes

4. On a scale of 1 to 5 with one being very dissatisfied and five being very satisfied, how

satisfied are you with how much family time you currently have?

No 1 2 3 4 5 Yes

5. Would you say that having a three day weekend would help cover personal

responsibilities?

No 1 2 3 4 5 Yes

6. Would you say that working longer shifts would be more productive overall?

No 1 2 3 4 5 Yes

7. Do you think overtime (time and a half) is enough incentive for employees to work

longer hours?

No 1 2 3 4 5 Yes

8. Would giving more numerous and longer breaks over the course of the day incentivize

employees to work longer shifts?

No 1 2 3 4 5 Yes

9. Would reducing the forty hour work week be a healthy decision for the general public?

No 1 2 3 4 5 Yes

10. Overall, do you feel pressured to work more than forty hours a week?

No 1 2 3 4 5 Yes

Statistical analysis of the survey allows researchers to understand trends across a wide

span of markets and industries. By ensuring an unbiased sample, analysis and reporting of data

is simplified and generalized. The results of the survey can be found below in a digitized format.

Findings and Data

The survey found many correlations and opportunities to perform additional analysis.

The data found the thesis inconclusive; because employees and employers don’t understand

the benefits of such a shift in the work week, they might not think that the shift in schedules is

worth the effort. However, because the shift in work times would provide so many benefits,

businesses that are small and more flexible would be able to cheaply benefit from shifting hours

around. Rush hour commutes are often very long, and employees who have longer commutes

also like their jobs less. If they were allowed to commute earlier/later in the day, they could

avoid much of the hassles associated with the daily commute. Employees would enjoy having a

3 day weekend, which would allow for them to spend valuable time with their families. Because

the shifts are longer, employees can be motivated to work more productively across the day,

with more time to spend on projects. Some types of change are harder to accustom to, but with

the changes in routine, employees might be happier that their business place is following the

“hip and trendiness” of the twenty first century.

Questions from Survey One

1. This qualifying question was asked to determine if the sample selected was valid. By asking

if the employee was working more than the typical work week was asking of them, the

survey removed the possibility of selecting a person who did not work, did not work enough

hours, or was not interested in taking the survey.

8; 47%9; 53%

Do You Work more Than Forty hours a Week?

Yes No

2. This question was to determine employee satisfaction with their bosses. If an employee was

not satisfied, then there was an increased risk of health risks.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17012345

How satisfied are you with your current employer?

3. By asking the sample about incentives, breaks were mentioned as being a hot-topic issue for

employees. If they didn’t have enough break time, they would also be increasing their risk

factor. Additionally, many people agreed that overtime was not enough of an incentive to

rationalize overtime work, and if an employee were offered an additional, paid dinner hour,

they would be more likely to perform overtime.

5

12

Would an Increase in Breaks Encourage Overtime Work?

4. Incentivizing employees is just one tactic management has to increase per capita

productivity throughout many departments. For example, commission based sales teams

are often recruited to maximize profitability. Additionally, overtime pay provides employees

with incentives to get work done under time sensitive working conditions.

Is Overtime Pay Incentive to Take on Additional Responsibilities?

yes no

5. This question was asked to discover how konwledgable the public was about the issues

employers face when on the topic of employee health risks. Many people answered this

question worked at a desk, and might have added to the bias of their answers. Additioinally,

this should be accounted for in the limitations section of the report.

Do Longer Shifts Cause Employee Health Issues?

yes no

6. If an employee was obligated to stay at work, they might become dissatisfied with their job.

This could lead to burnout, and by asking this question, researchers can assess if the work

environment is too strict in regard to employee workloads.

Do feel pressured by your work obligations while at home?

yes no

7. By assessing management’s strategy in regard to family members, one could hope to

influence employees to work harder. Because they have families to support, an employee

might feel obligated to work longer hours, potentially adding to the health risks associated

with overworking.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

3

2

4

1

4

1

3

4

2

4

1

3 3

2 2

3 3

Does Your employer Value Family Time?

Limitations/ Biases

Possible limitations in this research might include interviewees not understanding the

questions, misinterpreting possible answers, not having enough background information on the

subject, the interviewer collecting falsified data. Potential biases that might affect the

conclusions drawn from this research project include human nature of laziness; one might

typically assume that nobody wants to work on a Friday, opinions of the interviewers skewing

interview results, and partial bias in analysis of those results.

Conclusions and Recommendations

As Americans are progressing in the work environments, health risks and employee

dissatisfaction are also on the rise. In an effort to curb the employee health pandemic, this

research project was an attempt to sway public opinion on the forty hour work week. If there

are solutions available to fix both these serious problems, management would do well to act

sooner rather than too late. The proposal of having four ten hour days and a three day

weekend might be a conclusive solution to the topic of employee health risks inherent of job

dissatisfaction and overworking. This proposal would improve the public by allowing people

move leniency in their commute, additional family time, less possibility of overtime work, fewer

distractions over the course of their shifts, as well as improve the corporate structure of the

company.

In conclusion, the shift in work week is an extremely viable option to solve the issues

defined above. This project was proved to be inconclusive due to the general populace’s being

in the dark about the subject. However, with additional education about the serious risks

resultant of job dissatisfaction, perhaps the management of your company or business will lend

an ear to a possible solution. If this proposal could work in your company, why not bring it up

with your manager?

Appendices

Survey Questions

2. Would you like a day off on Friday?

No/low/disagree 1 2 3 4 5 Yes/ high/ agree

3. Do you work forty hours or more a week?


4. Do you currently feel overworked?


5. Do you feel that you don't have enough time to spend with your family with your current

schedule?


6. Would you say that having a three day weekend would help cover personal

responsibilities?


8. Would you say that working longer shifts would be more productive overall?


7. Do you think overtime ( time and a half) is enough incentive for employees to work longer

hours?


9. Would giving more numerous and longer breaks over the course of the day incentivize

employees to work longer shifts?


10. Would reducing the forty hour work week be a healthy decision for the general public?


11. Overall, do you feel pressured to work more than forty hours a week?


Works Cited

"Career/Life." Compressed Work Schedule. Cornell University, 2009. Web. 08 Oct. 2015.

"Compressed Work Week: Pros & Cons as a Flexible Work Arrangement." Work Options. Work

Options, 22 Oct. 2011. Web. 08 Oct. 2015.

See Discussions, Stats, And Author Profiles For This Publication At:

Http://www.researchgate.net/publication/13635301. Emotional Exhaustion as a

Predictor of Job Performance and Voluntary Turnover (n.d.): n. pag. Journal of American

Psychology. University of Colorado, Boulder. Web.

Us, For Most of. "The 4-day Workweek." CNNMoney. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 08 Oct.

2015.

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