Health Essay Sample: Six Hours Working Day

If the working day be shortened to six hours for the sake of health?

The normal eight-hour morning is common for the majority of workers. But there is growing evidence on the negative impact of extended working times. As well as US workers’ tendency to work overtime, these findings stress the necessity to review the existing working practice. Currently, there is certainly one alternative, namely, the shift to a six-hour working day. The data from studies suggests that this type of change would boost workers’ productivity, health, and over all life satisfaction.

The eight-hour morning is regarded as the standard in america. People traditionally work five times weekly, which results in forty hours weekly. However , these numbers are far from reality for the significant share of workers. For instance, the analysis by Gallup revealed that the average working time is 47 hours (Saad).

Meanwhile, 21 per cent of fully-employed workers spend between 51 and 59 hours at their workplaces, and an astounding 18 per cent of employees work significantly more than 60 hours per week (Saad). While this really is an incredible exemplory instance of hard work, studies suggest that this kind of amount of working time might be dangerous for workers’ health. The U. S. Department of Health insurance and Human Services’ systematic report on scholar studies related to the impact of excessive working time on health unveiled that overtime is strongly associated with “poorer perceived overall health, increased injury rates, more illnesses, or increased mortality” (27). Meanwhile, extended working shifts from 9 to 12 hours resulted in “feelings of decreased alertness and increased fatigue, lower cognitive function, declines in vigilance on task measures, increased injuries, slower work pace, and deterioration in performance” (27). Thus, the majority of US workers working overtime risk their health. In light with this evidence, the shift to less working hours may seem like a necessary change.

Furthermore, there are additional advantages of a diminished working week. First of all, the six-hour day results in the more effective performance of workers. Although simple logic resists the concept that working less may possibly result in more productivity, the clue this can be a actual time of people working. A study conducted among UK office workers unearthed that on average, the productive working time is just 2 hours and 53 minutes. The main reason lies in distractions of work setting and working with the computer, with social media, reading news, and communicating with colleagues being the biggest distractors (Voucher Cloud). Hence, less working time may actualize workers to make use of their time more efficiently and save the mandatory energy for the rest of the day.

Secondly, the advantages of a six-hour day time for health are already evidenced by the scientific community. As far as in 2001, the very first long-term empirical experiments explored the impact of the reduced day time on the situation and performance of workers. Scientists unearthed that the experimental group had improved results related to “social factors, sleep quality, mental fatigue, heart/respiratory complaints, and attitude to work hours” (Akerstedt et al. 197). Finally, there exists a more recent example from Sweden, where a huge experiment paid off the working time of different employees from eight to six hours, the highest case concerned nurses. The conclusion of the two-year experiment evidenced a productivity boost, and a decrease of stress and working burnout (Savage). As is observed, the advantages of a six-hour day time are diverse, and they can raise the performance and welfare of workers.

Over all, it is evident that longer working hours are related to adverse health outcomes. Because the majority of workers tend to work overtime, thereby risking their condition, it's important to review typical of working hours. A six-hour morning is a great alternative, and based on the evidence, it'll boost workers’ productivity and improve their mental and physical health condition.

Works Cited

Åkerstedt, Torbjorn, et al. “A 6-Hour Working Day–Effects on Health and Wellbeing …” Journal of Human Ergology 30.1-2 (2001): 197-202.
Saad, Lydia. “The ‘40-Hour’ Workweek Is Actually Longer — by Seven Hours. ” Gallup, Gallup, Inc., 29 Aug. 2014, news. gallup. com/poll/175286/hour-workweek-actually-longer-seven-hours. aspx.
Savage, Maddy. “What Really Happened When Swedes Tried Six-Hour Days? ” BBC News, BBC, 8 Feb. 2017, www.bbc.com/news/business-38843341.
U. S. Department of Health insurance and Human Services. Overtime and Extended Work Shifts: Recent Findings on Illnesses, Injuries, and Health Behaviors. Cincinnati, OH: NIOSH Publications Dissemination, 2004.
Voucher Cloud. “How Many Productive Hours in a Workday? Just 2 Hours, 23 Minutes …” Voucher Cloud, Invitation Digital Ltd., www.vouchercloud.com/resources/office-worker-productivity.