The Connection between Working Hours and States of Exhaustion

This finding contradicts the argument put forward by proponents of the four-day week that there is a general need for a shorter working week to improve the health of full-time employees. It also suggests that levels of potential negative stress are determined more by personal characteristics and the nature of the job than by the number of working hours alone. However, states of exhaustion occur significantly more frequently among the approximately 12 per cent of employees who work in excess of 48 hours per week. Factors that can be specifically designed into the workplace, such as freedom of action and social interaction, can to some extent help to reduce emotional exhaustion. The fact that some employees do not perceive their work as less attractive despite a very long working week points to selection effects within certain groups who prefer to work long hours and to compensating factors at the workplace. The analysis shows that those who work more than 48 hours a week are mainly managers and highly skilled and qualified staff who have more freedom to organise their own work or who belong to certain occupational groups with on-call duties. A third of employees who work extended hours do so mainly for personal reasons, for example because they enjoy their work or want to advance their careers and earn more.