{"id":318336,"date":"2021-08-08T01:39:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-07T22:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/your-digital-self-if-the-five-hour-workday-makes-sense-why-arent-we-doing-it-first-employers-have-to-stop-obsessing-over-hours\/"},"modified":"2021-08-08T01:39:00","modified_gmt":"2021-08-07T22:39:00","slug":"your-digital-self-if-the-five-hour-workday-makes-sense-why-arent-we-doing-it-first-employers-have-to-stop-obsessing-over-hours","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/your-digital-self-if-the-five-hour-workday-makes-sense-why-arent-we-doing-it-first-employers-have-to-stop-obsessing-over-hours\/","title":{"rendered":"#Your Digital Self: If the five-hour workday makes sense, why aren\u2019t we doing it? First, employers have to stop obsessing over hours"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a4ec7a4292d4\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a4ec7a4292d4\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/your-digital-self-if-the-five-hour-workday-makes-sense-why-arent-we-doing-it-first-employers-have-to-stop-obsessing-over-hours\/#Companies_would_be_better_off_tracking_tasks_and_projects_instead_of_hours_worked_per_day_That_would_give_us_greater_flexibility_in_our_lives\" >Companies would be better off tracking tasks and projects instead of hours worked per day. That would give us greater flexibility in our lives<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-6' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-6'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-6' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-6'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-6' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-6'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-6' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-6'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/your-digital-self-if-the-five-hour-workday-makes-sense-why-arent-we-doing-it-first-employers-have-to-stop-obsessing-over-hours\/#Work_gets_in_the_way_of_life\" >Work gets in the way of life<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-6'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/your-digital-self-if-the-five-hour-workday-makes-sense-why-arent-we-doing-it-first-employers-have-to-stop-obsessing-over-hours\/#What_companies_need\" >What companies need<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-6'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/your-digital-self-if-the-five-hour-workday-makes-sense-why-arent-we-doing-it-first-employers-have-to-stop-obsessing-over-hours\/#My_approach\" >My approach<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/your-digital-self-if-the-five-hour-workday-makes-sense-why-arent-we-doing-it-first-employers-have-to-stop-obsessing-over-hours\/#Jurica_Dujmovic\" >Jurica Dujmovic<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#Your Digital Self: If the five-hour workday makes sense, why aren\u2019t we doing it? First, employers have to stop obsessing over hours<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"article__subhead\" itemprop=\"alternativeHeadline\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Companies_would_be_better_off_tracking_tasks_and_projects_instead_of_hours_worked_per_day_That_would_give_us_greater_flexibility_in_our_lives\"><\/span>\n  Companies would be better off tracking tasks and projects instead of hours worked per day. That would give us greater flexibility in our lives<br \/>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"column column--full article__content\">\n<div class=\"article__side\">\n<div class=\"container--sticky not-active\">\n<div id=\"cx-next\" data-nosnippet>\n              <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"js-article__body\" class=\"article__body article-wrap at16-col16 barrons-article-wrap\" itemprop=\"articleBody\" data-sbid=\"WP-MKTW-0000361650\">\n<div class=\"barrons-article-ad-wrapper\">\n<div data-track=\"barrons-article-ad-wrap\" class=\"barrons-article-ad sticky_item\">\n<div class=\"barrons-main-article-ad-target sticky_target body_ad\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-layout=\"\n                inline\" data-layout-mobile=\"\" class=\"\n          media-object\n          type-InsetArticleReader\n              \n              inline\n  article__inset\n          article__inset--type-InsetArticleReader\n              article__inset--inline\n  \"><\/p>\n<div class=\"media-object-article-reader\">\n<div class=\"audioplayer\" data-sbid=\"WP-MKTW-0000361650\" role=\"region\" aria-label=\"Listen to Article\" tabindex=\"-1\" id=\"articlereader\" data-show-title=\"false\" data-theme=\"wsj-article-reader\" data-show-header=\"false\" data-show-subscribe=\"false\" data-ads-enabled=\"true\" data-save-publication=\"false\">\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>       Risk factors including cardiovascular disease, stress, depression and alcohol abuse are  <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC6617405\/\" class=\"icon none\">exacerbated by long work hours<\/a>. Impressing your boss has never been more dangerous. <\/p>\n<p> Let\u2019s be honest: There\u2019s little time for productivity in the standard eight-hour workday. Our bandwidth is spent on meetings, emails and instant messages, bureaucracy and administrative work that could be avoided or automated.<\/p>\n<div class=\"paywall\">\n       Even if you were given a full eight hours without distraction, you would still be less productive and less h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>y than a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/static1.squarespace.com\/static\/5c3e9f3555b02cbca8b01aab\/t\/5dd227c2fbae9d7217aefd51\/1574053837804\/191017+Does+Employee+Happiness+Have+an+Impact+on+Productivity.pdf\" class=\"icon none\">person working five hours a day<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Why, then, hasn\u2019t the eight-hour workday been replaced by better alternatives if the case is clear-cut? Because implementing a new work regimen isn\u2019t as simple as it looks. <\/p>\n<p>Case in point: San Diego-based <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.towerpaddleboards.com\/\" class=\"icon none\">Tower Paddle Boards<\/a> introduced the five-hour workday in 2015. The idea was simple: Give employees some time back, yet expect the same amount of work. <\/p>\n<p>To maintain the same output during a significantly shorter workday, employees soon started scrambling for shortcuts and productivity hacks. After two years, it seemed they had gotten the hang of it, and the initiative resulted in a 50% revenue boost. <\/p>\n<h6><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Work_gets_in_the_way_of_life\"><\/span>Work gets in the way of life<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h6>\n<p>However, there was one significant change. When you punch in at 8 a.m. and leave at 1 p.m., work becomes a distraction \u2014 something that gets in the way of your real life. Furthermore, once you take away idle chatter, relaxed communication and unnecessary meetings in a company as small as Tower Paddle Boards (which at the time had only six employees), there\u2019s little <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social<\/a> glue left to keep the feeling of unity and company culture. <\/p>\n<p>This lack of communication caused by a hectic schedule, crammed into a five-hour workday, made it increasingly hard for the company to retain valuable employees.<\/p>\n<p>After tweaking the approach twice, the company\u2019s CEO, Stephan Aarstol, had an epiphany: The employees didn\u2019t view the five-hour workday as something special. <\/p>\n<p>Once he started using it as a reward when the company was doing well and took it away when there was a rough patch, the business started taking off again. <\/p>\n<div id=\"cx-membership-tile\"><\/div>\n<p>Another remarkable thing happened: An eight-hour workday in times of uncertainty brought employees together and improved camaraderie. They felt they were a part of something greater and started appreciating the five-hour workday policy even more.<\/p>\n<p>Tower\u2019s is definitely not a one-size-fits-all solution, especially when you evaluate the policy with an individual employee in mind. While an eight-hour workday may be undesirable for some, others actually perform better with more hours. Work-life balance is also different for every individual, and it greatly affects preferences. <\/p>\n<h6><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_companies_need\"><\/span>What companies need<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h6>\n<p>Finally, let\u2019s not forget a company\u2019s interests. Expecting employees to complete the same amount of work during significantly shorter work hours isn\u2019t always feasible, and it\u2019s important that management understand that. <\/p>\n<p>Management is another big factor to consider. Regardless of the time allotted each day, there will always be employees who need guidance. These individuals cause issues in any environment \u2014 either by over-delegating their work to others, under-delegating and taking on more than they can handle, or evading their responsibilities and causing the entire operation to stall. <\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s up to the managers to set them straight or let them go, and to present the situation to higher-ups in a transparent way, so it\u2019s evident that the workday policy isn\u2019t at fault here, but rather the incompetence or laziness of certain employees. <\/p>\n<p>These factors can often affect the evaluation of new company policies and distort their perceived effectiveness.<\/p>\n<h6><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"My_approach\"><\/span>My approach<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h6>\n<p>So, what would be the best approach? Here\u2019s my take: When I was a freelancer, my daily workload was defined by milestones I\u2019d set for projects I was working on. As long as those milestones were reached and I was sticking to a schedule, I could keep flexible work hours. <\/p>\n<p>I spent my free time not only doing the things I love, but also reflecting on completed work and the ways to improve it. <\/p>\n<p>That approach accomplished two things: I was always able to achieve my goals on time, and the following day I would come to work with a fresh perspective. Sometimes I would need to rework what I already did, which meant I had to work longer that particular day; other times, it was the opposite. Hours were never a focus for me, but rather project completion.<\/p>\n<p>In this model, the reward for efficiency is the gift of spare time. If the work has been completed in a satisfactory way, there is no need for an employee to sit around and do nothing. <\/p>\n<p>To make this happen, project managers should ensure realistic deadlines and split tasks in manageable chunks that take into account not only the needs of clients and the company, but also those of their employees. This could mean leaner revenue projections in the short term, but a rise in profitability in the long run, paired with greater employee satisfaction and a healthier work environment.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s your take on the five-hour workday? How would you organize the workday or week as an employee, or as a CEO? Let me know in the comment section below.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"byline article__byline\">\n<p>    <span>By<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"author mobile-scrim hasMenu\" data-scrim='{\"type\":\"author\",\"header\":\"Jurica Dujmovic\",\"subhead\":\"The Wall Street Journal\",\"list\":[,{\"type\":\"link\",\"icon\":\"email\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.marketwatch.com\/news\/mailto:contributors@marketwatch.com\",\"text\":\"contributors@marketwatch.com\"}]}' itemscope itemprop=\"author\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Person\">\n<h4 itemprop=\"name\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Jurica_Dujmovic\"><\/span>Jurica Dujmovic<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.marketwatch.com\/news\/story.asp?guid=%7B20C05575-04D4-B545-7584-B266C0B1B8DE%7D&#038;siteid=rss&#038;rss=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#Your Digital Self: If the five-hour workday makes sense, why aren\u2019t we doing it? First, employers have to stop obsessing over hours&#8221; Companies would be better off tracking tasks and projects instead of hours worked per day. That would give us greater flexibility in our lives Risk factors including cardiovascular disease, stress, depression and alcohol&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":318337,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-318336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/318336","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=318336"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/318336\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/318337"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=318336"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=318336"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=318336"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}