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Because of thunder storms in Atlanta, the flight from Dallas to Atlanta had been delayed twice. On the third attempt, we were boarding and I felt hopeful of actually getting off the ground. My hopes faded fast when the tired-looking flight attendant came down the aisle quietly announcing that if we were not permitted to take off in the next 15 minutes, the crew would have exceeded their 16-hour work day and we would have to taxi back to the terminal and await another flight.
We were not given permission to take off, the crew's time expired and as we taxied back to the terminal I felt mixed emotions. I kept thinking, "But we were right there…ready to take off. How could 1-1/2 more hours matter?"
Just as airlines are concerned about overworked pilots and flight attendants, employers should be concerned about overworked employees. Why? Errors, accidents, and low productivity for a start.
My mixed emotions as we taxied back to the terminal are similar to the signals our culture sends today about long work hours. In one breath we agree with employees having a pity party about how hard they work and with the other breath, we award employees a "red badge of courage" for having the guts to go the extra mile.
A study by the Families and Work Institute concludes that overworked employees should be taken seriously. Employees who are overworked are more likely to exhibit anxiety, make mistakes at work, harbor angry feelings about their employer for expecting them to be on the job for long hours and resent coworkers who don't pull their share of the load. The study documents that nearly half of employees who feel overworked report that their health is poor and 8 percent of employees who are not overworked experience symptoms of clinical depression compared with 21 percent of those who are highly overworked.
What can the organization do to help employees feel less overworked and leave work on time to pursue their personal lives? Train employees in time management and goal setting principles. Make a concerted effort to grease the wheels of productivity, and not be the stick that gets caught in the tire spokes, catapulting the rider from the trail.
Using time efficiently at work is an individual and an organizational issue. On the organizational side, managers can reduce the feeling of being overworked by:
- Discouraging the practice of eating at the desk and working through lunch
- Insisting on employees taking appropriate vacation time
- Permitting flexible work hours as needed
- Encouraging non-interrupt zones in the day when workers can focus
To encourage efficiency, managers can:
- Have clearly stated goals with built in and mutually understood deadlines
- Insist on employee making a daily "to do" list
- Make sure equipment works properly
- Ensure proper supplies are available
- Train employees on software packages that assist workflow
A less stressed worker is a better worker. Making sure the above items are taken care of is essential to help employees leverage their time in the office to be more efficient, effective and less-stressed. Even though employees can't actually manufacture an extra hour every day, attending to these issues will help employees will feel as if you helped them "make" an additional hour a day.
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