The Truth About Working Overtime: how much overtime is too much?

Working overtime reduces productivity and harms both employees and employers. The best remedy is to stop overworking and implement healthy work boundaries.

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Key Takeaways

Overtime reduces productivity significantly after 8 hours of work.
Mental fatigue from overwork increases errors and decreases work quality.
Overworking is costly to employers and harmful to employees.
Stopping work and taking breaks is the most effective way to combat overwork.
Setting clear work boundaries improves employee well-being and productivity.

What the video covers

Overtime work is commonly misunderstood by employers and employees, with both believing it is beneficial.
A study by DeskTime analyzed productivity of over 200,000 users after 8 hours of work.
Productivity drops by 11% after 8 hours and continues to decline by up to 19% for each additional hour worked.
Working overtime leads to mental fatigue and increases the likelihood of errors in judgment and work.
Overworking is costly to employers, with U.S. companies losing over $300 billion annually due to overtired employees.
The best solution to overwork, according to Kansas State University research, is simply to stop working overtime.
Taking breaks and stepping away from work helps replenish energy and maintain productivity.
Implementing an end-of-day ritual helps employees set boundaries and avoid excessive work hours.
Overwork negatively impacts both employee well-being and employer productivity.
The video advises against working overtime and encourages healthier work habits.

Chapters

How does working overtime affect employee productivity?

Working overtime decreases productivity by 11% after 8 hours and can drop by up to 19% for each additional hour, leading to more errors and reduced work quality.

What is the best way to combat the negative effects of overwork?

The best remedy is to stop overworking by taking breaks, stepping away from work, and implementing end-of-day rituals to set clear boundaries.

How much does overworking cost employers?

Overworked and overtired employees cost U.S. employers more than 300 billion dollars per year due to decreased productivity and increased errors.

Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown

Speaker A

I love working overtime, said no one ever. [Music] Overtime is a fickle thing. Employers think that they want employees to be working more, longer, and harder, while employees think that they're getting brownie points for staying in the office and putting in extra hours. But in reality, it's doing major harm to both.

Speaker A

office and putting in extra hours but in reality it's doing major harm to both with desktime we did a study with over 200 000 of desktimes users and analyzed their productivity statistics after they've already put in eight hours

Speaker A

With Desktime, we did a study with over 200,000 of Desktime's users and analyzed their productivity statistics after they've already put in eight hours of work. The stats were astonishing. Productivity was generally high for the eight hours that everyone's working, as expected. But as soon as eight hours had been worked, productivity on average fell by 11% and continued to reduce by up to 19% for every additional hour worked.

Speaker A

for every additional hour worked i also have a graph so take a look at the graph that's insane working overtime is clearly problematic we're seeing that employees are working more than their mental capacity allows for afterwards you're more prone to making errors in

Speaker A

I also have a graph, so take a look at the graph. That's insane. Working overtime is clearly problematic. We're seeing that employees are working more than their mental capacity allows for. Afterwards, you're more prone to making errors in judgment, which results in errors in work.

Speaker A

anyone's interest to be overworking so what can be done a study by kansas state university found that the best remedy is stopping work i know revolutionary but that's the truth the best way to battle overwork is to not overwork so stepping away from

Speaker A

This culture of overworking costs the employer as well. It was found that overworked and overtired employees are costing U.S. employers more than 300 billion dollars per year. Let that sink in. Clearly, it's not in anyone's interest to be overworking.

Speaker A

and work with new renewed gusto and enthusiasm and clarity of mind which is important for everyone involved finally implementing an end of day ritual could be super helpful for helping to draw that boundary of having worked enough hours of that

Speaker A

So what can be done? A study by Kansas State University found that the best remedy is stopping work. I know, revolutionary, but that's the truth. The best way to battle overwork is to not overwork.

Speaker A

the moral of the story is that overwork is pervasive it is unhelpful it has a dramatic effect on employees productivity and it does harm to the employer as well should you be working overtime no and we hope that we gave you at least

Speaker A

So stepping away from the computer, leaving that environment, going for a walk are the best ways to get some distance, to be able to replenish your energy stores, relax, so that the next day you're able to go back to that same task, that work, and work with new, renewed gusto and enthusiasm and clarity of mind, which is important for everyone involved.

Topics:overtimeproductivitywork-life balanceemployee well-beingDeskTime studyoverwork costsmental fatiguework boundariesKansas State Universitywork breaks

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