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Most Of The World’s Laborforce Is Overworked Or Lazy—How Do We Strike A Balance?

New data shows some workers are clocking nearly 50 hours per week of work, while others in similar roles fall well below that margin.
Most Of The World’s Laborforce Is Overworked Or Lazy—How Do We Strike A Balance?
Shot of a young businessman looking bored while working at his desk during late night at work
By Jasmine Browley ·

Employees are either working too much or barely at all according to new workforce data.

A recent report from the International Labor Organization (ILO) found that the average number of hours a third of global employees work per week come in at more than 48 hours, while a fifth of those work fewer than 35 hours per week.

“Although long hours of work decreased slightly early in the pandemic and short hours of work increased somewhat, both of these phenomena were already reverting to their pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2020,” the ILO said as reported by Bloomberg.

This belies a bigger issue around the rise of employee burnout and work-related stress.

“There is a substantial amount of evidence that work–life balance policies provide significant benefits to enterprises, supporting the argument that such policies are a ‘win-win’ for both employers and employees,” the report said.

Bloomberg reported that the survey was conducted across 37 different countries or areas, with a sample size of 15,544 respondents.

Measures introduced during the Covid pandemic “yielded powerful new evidence that giving workers more flexibility in how, where and when they work can be positive both for them and for business, for example by improving productivity,” the ILO said. “Conversely, restricting flexibility brings substantial costs, including increased staff turnover.”

Average hours of work globally fall well within the normal range, at approximately 43.9 hours per week prior to the pandemic, the ILO said in a study on work-life balance published on Friday. At the same time, about a third of workers have a work week of more than 48 hours, while a fifth work part-time or fewer than 35 hours per week.

“Although long hours of work decreased slightly early in the pandemic and short hours of work increased somewhat, both of these phenomena were already reverting to their pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2020,” the ILO said.

“There is a substantial amount of evidence that work–life balance policies provide significant benefits to enterprises, supporting the argument that such policies are a ‘win-win’ for both employers and employees.”