Working long hours does not equate to productivity

At first I reveled in working late into the night,” says T, my former student who worked as an analyst at the Asian headquarters (outside the Philippines) of a storied finance institution. “I boasted to my friends about the perks, but now I realize that these were designed to keep us functioning for 12 hours a day. Free dinners at the office, coffee available 24/7, free car rides to bring us home so we could catch a few hours of sleep and return the next day, to begin the cycle again.”

“Most employees would appreciate the perks,” I reply. “But I find it impossible to be productive for 12 hours straight. Did you really work all that time?”

“We were all physically present in the office. This was before the pandemic,” says T. “With [the] lockdown, we went online, which was a great relief. In fact, my productivity soared when I worked online, because I was able to take brief naps in between tasks.”

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“Let’s go back to the old setup, prepandemic,” I say. “How productive did you think you were? What was a typical day like?”

“I got to work at nine, still drowsy from lack of sleep,” says T. “Coffee, of course, as I checked emails and social networks for a couple of hours. Then meetings, which usually extended to lunch. This would be early afternoon, and I desperately wanted to nap, but the one perk we did not have was a place to sleep, so I downed more coffee, resulting in a spurt of energy that made 3 to 5 pm my most alert time, which I reserved for things that required more analysis, like doing charts or writing notes. That is, unless we had to attend more meetings. And don’t get me started on meetings! We wasted time waiting for people to gather around, rehashing matters that could have been settled in email threads. But meetings are an excuse to gossip and eat, so I guess that’s fine.”

“But you are not yet finished with your day,” I remind her. “Then what?”

“When 6 p.m. came around, I felt exhausted. I know this is the time that employees in other jobs went home. But my colleagues and I felt it was worth it to stay till 8 or 9, because we could then get the free car ride home, being driven by someone else, rather than having to commute. By this point my brain could not function as well, so I just tried to finish routine tasks so I would not be swamped the next day. To answer your question, out of 12 hours, I felt that I was productive for half that time.”

“No wonder you burned out,” I tell T, who sought my help to manage chronic anxiety. “Your bosses treated you well, and you enjoyed working with peers, didn’t you? The main issue was the long hours.”

“Office politics was always there, but I got along well with everyone,” says T. “I enjoyed my work, especially in the first two years, because the tasks were mentally stimulating. Afterward, when things became routine, I felt like I was just coasting, and the job was no longer as fulfilling even if I got promoted. I started resenting the long hours, because being present in the office was automatically equated to being more valuable, which is not true!”

“The syndrome you describe is called presenteeism, where long hours are bragging rights,” I say. “Sometimes overtime is necessary—in your case, during tax season, audits or emergencies. But working extremely long hours for its own sake is pointless.”

“It took me almost 10 years to realize that much as I enjoyed the work and the camaraderie, 12 hours of being at work, whether or not I was productive, was really too much,” says T. “I even landed in the hospital for stomach problems, which the company paid for, but I am sure it was connected to fatigue. Then I started having anxiety, which is horrible.”

“Continue your relaxation exercises, and go for a run,” I say. “Most of all, get enough shut-eye!”

“We should have asked our boss to install a gym and a nap room,” says T. “There was no time for physical exercise or sleep when we were all expected to be at the office all the time.”