Employee Well-being Improves as Work Days Shrink

A report from ActivTrak Productivity Lab reveals that the workday is gradually becoming shorter, with a year-over-year decrease of 37 minutes. This early workday shutdown is not resulting in a loss of productivity; instead, it indicates an improvement in workload balance and employee well-being, reports the survey. 

"[While] the majority of business is still conducted between 9 to 5, we noted a significant change in end-of-day behaviors — with the typical workday ending more than 30 minutes earlier than one year ago," says Sarah Altemus, Productivity Lab Manager, ActivTrak Productivity Lab.

The analysis, which encompassed over 38 million hours worked across 20 industries between January 2022 and June 2023, showed that while the total work time remained relatively stable quarter-over-quarter, there was a decrease of 6 minutes in work hours year-over-year, amounting to an average of 7.6 work hours per day. The change appears to be exclusively occurring at the end of the day, with employees shutting down their work about half an hour earlier. 

The reduction in the work day led to a decrease in employee overutilization, which fell by 13% compared to the previous year. This decline could be linked to a slight reduction in multitasking time and better distribution of workloads.

Despite the noted improvements in workday length and workload balance, the report indicates that almost one-third of employees continue to be overutilized, clocking in more than 10 hours of work from the beginning to the end of their workday. This persistent overutilization remains a hindrance to productivity. Factors such as financial concerns, stress and exhaustion also contribute to decreased productivity. 

When analyzing different industries, the study found that the workday span is about an hour longer than the average for employees in the financial services sector, while employees in the insurance industry enjoy a workday that is nearly an hour shorter. The healthcare industry reported the highest rate of overutilization, which was 43% higher compared to other sectors.

Mexico surpasses other OECD countries in working hours, with an average of 2,137 hours worked per year in 2019, compared to the OECD average of 1,730 hours. This means that in Mexico, 23% more hours are worked compared to the OECD average, as reported by COPARMEX Nuevo Leon.

Employers and organizations should pay attention to the prevalence of overutilized employees as it can have adverse effects on productivity.