Ask the experts

Dr Shirley Jenner
Principal Lecturer, Manchester Metropolitan University Business School

Jay is not alone in feeling over-worked. Surveys show that thousands of people are working longer hours than they were even a few years ago without the effect of any extra productivity compared to our European neighbors.

Many of us are stressed, over-worked and close to burnout. Increasingly employees are expected to put in considerable discretionary effort, to go the extra mile and work beyond their contract. However, Jay’s work schedule sounds excessive. To cram in the hours described he must be starting early, finishing late and working through his weekends. No doubt these work demands will be impacting his relationships at work and beyond, and possibly taking their toll on his health. 

In order to broach the topic with his employer, Jay needs to take some time to reflect on what sort of work-life balance he wants. That could be hard to do under the relentless pressure present workplace culture, but Jay needs time out to ask himself some serious questions.

First, he needs to reconnect with his personal values and hopes. What does work-life balance actually mean to Jay? What does he really want to put into and receive back from his work, his family life and friendships? Stephen Covey, the self-help guru, describes this as creating our own personal mission statement or constitution.

Our dying words are unlikely to be “I wish I had spent more time at the office.” Along with Jay, we need a more fruitful and sustainable work ethic. 

Workplace wellbeing means aspiring to a quality of life shared by a community that lives meaningfully, balancing work, creativity and leisure with space for good relationships.  As we look more deeply, Jay’s dilemma is a social, ethical and spiritual one.

So, for a re-centered Jay, a second step would be to ask what the realistic possibility of change is in this driven, long-hours culture.
Has Jay already tried to broach these issues with his line manager? If not, then that is the starting point. If his concerns are not taken seriously, then he needs to seek out other resources and people.

So investigate. Appeal to the existence of work-life values already articulated in the form of policies. Is Jay alone in wanting to reduce the long hours? Unlikely. Is there a trade union or staff association representative he can talk to? Have things got worse since the recession took hold, perhaps following redundancies? If there are recruitment or high turnover problems amongst key workers, then managers may be more willing to change the way work is allocated, designed and managed.

It would also be worth exploring new technologies and remote working for the international business communications. Given the current economic climate, Jay would not want to easily relinquish a job he enjoys without exploring all these avenues. The overwork culture is unlikely to change overnight, but if Jay is determined and supported, he can certainly take a step in the right direction.

Kevin Dougall
Managing Director, AP HR

We must assume that Jay is good at his job and that he does not have to work these long hours because he is struggling to get his work done.

We must also assume that before accepting thejob, Jay was made aware that he would, on occasion, be required to join late night conference calls.

We also ought to assume that Jay has opted out of the working time regulations and is content with his remuneration package.
 If these assumptions are correct, and let’s take it that they are, we are dealing with a human issue as opposed to a purely legal issue.

Given the excessive hours that Jay is regularly putting in, it would seem safe to assume that the work-life balance policy is rarely referred to or invoked.

It would therefore follow that there is likely to be a long hours culture in the business; which Jay himself may well be, unwittingly, reinforcing. If Jay wants to adopt a different approach, he could be seen to be going against the inherent culture of the business.
So what should he do?

My recommendation would be that he has an open and honest conversation with his line manager. He should explain that his long hours are having an adverse effect on his private life and that it is also likely to be adversely impacting his performance at work. He should emphasise that he enjoys his work and wants to continue to do well for the business.

He should also suggest that quality is more important that quantity and that as he wants to continue to perform well for the business, he feels that by avoiding working excessive hours, he will be more focused and productive. It would be a harsh employer, and an ill-informed and poor one, who would not support Jay here.

Jennifer Stacey
Chief People Officer, Ceridian

Jay is rightly concerned about balance. He appears to be feeling overloaded by the amount of work he’s being asked to do, and the extra hours he’s putting in could be negatively impacting not only on his personal life but also on his health, and possibly the quality of his work.

Research conducted by Ceridian has shown that 40% of UK employees routinely work extra hours. This overwork can lead not only to stress, but also decreases motivation, which in turn may increase sickness absence and have a detrimental impact on the quality of work. 
From the employer’s point of view, it’s essential that employees are as healthy as possible as stress can manifest itself both physically and mentally. As part of a company’s duty of care, the employer could organise training workshops for colleagues and line managers so that they recognise the signs of stress.

Investing in an Employee Assistance Programme allows employees to seek advice and counselling, while providing high level feedback to employers with an ‘early warning’ indicator of any stress and wellbeing concerns in the work place.

Jay needs to discuss his workload with his boss, who may be oblivious to his late night conference calls. He should draw confidence from the Working Time Directive, which limits working hours to 48 per week (unless opted out). He should also note the ‘work-life balance’ policy, which should give a further boost to his confidence.

Jay should prepare a breakdown of his workload, before tactfully broaching the subject with his manager. Together, they can look constructively at ways to improve his work-life balance. In addition, they could look at implementing flexible working to fit around the late conference calls.

Once a mutual decision has been made, monthly meetings should be set up to review progress. It is beneficial to both Jay and his employer that they reach a solution as this will not only reduce Jay’s stress and improve the quality of his work, but it will also benefit the business in the longer term.