Reducing the number of hours in the working day and making working time agreements more flexible, such as those applied during the COVID-19 crisis, can benefit economies, companies and workers, and lay the foundations for a better and healthier work-life balance, highlights a new report from the International Labor Organization (ILO).
The study examines the two main aspects of time spent at work: the hours and organization of the working day and its effects on the performance of companies and the balance between work and private life of people.
The analysis reveals that a significant portion of the global workforce works approximately a standard eight-hour day and 40-hour week. However, it is observed that more than a third of these workers dedicate more than 48 hours a week to their job, while a fifth of the world’s active population works less than 35 hours a week. Workers in the informal economy are more likely to work long or short hours.
The report also analyzes the different modalities of the working day and its effects on the balance between professional and private life, such as shift work systems, on-call, compressed schedules and the calculation of annual hours.
At the same time, it warns that the positive aspects of some of these systems, such as the improvement of family life, may be accompanied by other costs, such as greater imbalances between men and women and health risks.
Short hours and teleworking change the rules of the game
Another aspect analyzed were the government measures for companies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which helped businesses continue operating and workers did not lose their jobs.
The study confirms that the increase in the number of workers with short hours contributed to avoiding the loss of jobs. Long-term changes are also evident: “The large-scale implementation of teleworking in almost all parts of the world where it was possible to do so, changed… the nature of employmentand probably will do so more in the foreseeable future,” the report states.
The measures adopted during the pandemic demonstrated that Giving workers more flexibility in how, where and when they work can pay off for both workers and companiesFor example, by improving productivity. Conversely, restricting flexibility carries substantial costs, such as increased staff turnover.
“There is a considerable amount of evidence that life balance policies provide important benefits to companies, supporting the argument that these types of policies are beneficial to both employers and employees,” the report says. .
Report Recommendations
- Working time laws and regulations on the maximum number of daily working hours and statutory rest periods are achievements that can contribute to the long-term health and well-being of a society and should not be jeopardized.
- Longer working hours are generally associated with lower productivity, while shorter hours are associated with higher productivity.
- Countries should build on the lessons learned from COVID-19 and include part-time employment modalities with the highest benefits possible, not only to maintain employment but also to sustain purchasing power and create the possibility of amortizing the effects of economic crises.
- In many countries, public measures are necessary to favor the reduction of working hours, in order to promote both an adequate balance between work and personal life, as well as an improvement in productivity.
- Teleworking contributes to maintaining employment and creates a new space for employee autonomy. However, this and other forms of flexible work modalities must be regulated to contain their possible negative effects, through policies such as the often called “right to disconnect” from work.
