Break Points
The Rule of Fifty
Jack Ganssle
3/11/2008 1:10 AM EDT
The studies' results vary quite a bit. One shows that at 50 hours/week workers do about 37 hours work, dropping to just over 30 once the workweek increases to 55. The "best," if you can call it that, results were from a 1997 survey showed wielding the whip can have ever-increasing productive rewards, edging up to about 52 productive hours for a 70 hour week. But they all show a nearly-impenetrable barrier of around 50 useful hours or less, regardless of overtime.
Unsurprisingly the data shows a sharp drop in results for those working excessive OT for weeks on end, averaging around a 20% drop after 12 weeks of servitude. That means, as the author concludes, the Rule of Fifty is a best case estimate.
The 2005 Circadian Technologies Shiftware Practices survey showed that productivity can decrease by as much as 25% for a 60 hour workweek, which jibes pretty well with Nevison's data. Circadian's results also demonstrate that turnover is nearly three times higher among workers putting in a lot of OT, and absenteeism is twice the national average. I'm not sure what that result means, since it's awfully hard for an absent worker to be putting in overtime.
Fred Brooks claims that the average software engineer devotes about 55% of his week to project work. The rest goes to overhead activities, responding to HR, meetings about the health insurance plan, and supporting other activities.
The German Embassy's Washington web site claims on its web site that the nominal workweek in Germany is 37.5 hours because "The original reason for introducing this system was to combat rush-hour traffic congestion, but among the more direct gains are an improvement in employee morale, greater productivity, significant decreases in absenteeism, greater flexibility for women who juggle the demands of work, home and children, and the increased sense of individual dignity that the employees get from having a greater say in organizing their own time."
The last phrase may be true but seems awfully hard to measure. However, their conclusions about morale, absenteeism and productivity seem parallel the survey results quoted above.
What's your take? When does overtime become counterproductive?
Jack G. Ganssle is a lecturer and consultant on embedded development issues. He conducts seminars on embedded systems and helps companies with their embedded challenges. Contact him at jack@ganssle.com. His website is www.ganssle.com.
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B Kockoth
3/12/2008 7:26 AM EDT
Constant overtime takes its toll by moving outside work activities inside - hence the reduction of efficiency even when the total amount of hours rises.
From the european perspective, we have indeed the opportunity to organize our private life outside the 35, 37.5 or 40 hours, depending on industry and country. In most larger companies it is forbidden to clock more than 10 working hours per day, the argument is to prevent accidents at and off work.
In general I agree, when the work-life balance is in the hands of the employees, morale is better and turnover lower.
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Tom Maz
3/12/2008 9:02 AM EDT
I think extended overtime becomes counterproductive - i.e. weeks on end of 50-60 hours eventually become self defeating. People get so tired after several weeks without a break that they lose their ability to be creative. However, short periods (1-3 weeks) during crunch time or a crisis can be very productive.
I think that age also factors into this at some point. I remember doing some extended overtime back in my twenties - don't think I could do that these days. This may be similar to athletes performance, their best years come before they hit 35 (in most case), but after that, it becomes increasingly harder to maintain that level of performance.
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DrOctavius
3/13/2008 2:33 AM EDT
I agree with the results found in the study, but thats for the average, there are exceptions, for example now my life is in my work 100% and I really love what Im doing, lately I can work 80/90 h/week 4-6 weeks in a row without any mayor problem. I found important to eat 0 trash food + go to gym 4 days/week.
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ovyd
3/13/2008 12:59 PM EDT
DrOctavius, come on, I think your 80/90 h/week are an exaggeration, do you sleep overnight at your office?! This amount of overtime is ridiculous even though you like what you do...
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clay_cowgill
3/13/2008 2:57 PM EDT
I'll agree with Tom-- having been on both the 'giving' and 'receiving' end of brutal, "massive overtime required" pushes to launch products a *finite* stretch of heavy overtime can indeed get the job done when no other option is available.
In my experience the key is to have a finite target (in our case it always seemed to be "we have to show this at CES or we're doomed") and then a period of decompression/comp time afterwards to let the team unwind and relax.
Arguably, an 'almost impossible' overtime mission can be a good team builder. As long as there's a *chance* that it can be done, when a development group pulls a rabbit out of the hat after weeks of hard work together it's very rewarding. After some time has past it's a great source for "remember when we..." engineering war-stories.
The converse, (a *really* impossible task or one that the end date keeps moving out making massive overtime the norm) just turns into a death-march and is terrible for morale and productivity.
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MemoryLeak
3/13/2008 5:51 PM EDT
Whoops - I must have missed something - how does working 37.5 hr weeks reduce rush hour traffic?
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Tom_
3/14/2008 3:55 AM EDT
i feels that spending 1/3 of your total time in office is an ideal one.
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DrOctavius
3/14/2008 6:02 AM EDT
ovyd,
Yes, sometimes I sleep at my office and even if it necessary I don't sleep!!
If you are an entrepreneur you will understand about what Im talking. Sacrifice and discipline are EVERYTHING.
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August Rush
3/14/2008 11:33 AM EDT
Sacrifice:destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else.
I hope the something else is worth it.
If it is money, than it is not.
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DrOctavius
3/14/2008 2:06 PM EDT
"It is one of the strange ironies of this strange life [that] those who work the hardest, who subject themselves to the strictest discipline, who give up certain pleasurable things in order to achieve a goal, are the happiest people."
- Brutus Hamilton
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markjmeyer
3/14/2008 7:49 PM EDT
I totally agree with both the study findings and Tom. That was even pointed out many years ago when, after working over 55 hours a week for 8 months straight to complete the design and development of a factory data acquisition system, my bosss boss said I looked and acted like a zombie. Well, so I found out 20+ years ago that I couldnt work that long and not effect what my boss thinks of me. One other point about excessive OT is that it shows a lack of good project and resource management. There is always going to be OT, just because of unexpected problems occurring. The real question is how you can minimize the number of unexpected problems (project planning) and allocate resources effectively.
The phrase a diminishing rate of return keeps coming to mind.
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MariaTech
1/27/2010 10:32 AM EST
DrOctavius, I am glad you enjoy your work, but I enjoy my children more. Like you said, if you care about something you will work had to make it sucessful, and for me, it's my children, and my husband. I use to work long hours at work, but found out I can get the same pay raises I did before working 40 hours a week. I am not a work horse, trying to make my exec's rich at the sacrifice of family. Exec's can work their own OT for their own large bonus!
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