對24/7小時數字生活說不:為心理健康

職業倦怠的壓力導致24/7(=24 hours a day, seven days a week) 數字生活的退步

職業倦怠，壓力導致更多公司嚐試4天工作周

艾瑪托馬森

 

這聽起來好得令人難以置信，但世界各地削減工作周的公司發現，這會帶來更高的生產力，更有動力的員工和更少的倦怠。

 

總部位於柏林的項目管理軟件公司Planio的創始人Jan Schulz-Hofen表示，“它更健康，我們的工作做得更好。”他為該公司的10周推出了為期四天的工作周。今年早些時候成員工作人員

 

在新西蘭，保險公司Perpetual Guardian報告說，在今年早些時候測試了32小時後，壓力下降和員工敬業度激增。

 

即使在日本，政府也鼓勵公司允許周一早上休息，盡管工作狂國家的其他計劃說服員工放鬆，但影響不大。

 

英國工會大會（TUC）正在推動整個國家在本世紀末之前進入為期四天的一周，這是反對黨工黨支持的推動力。

 

TUC認為，較短的一周是工人分享機器學習和機器人等新技術所產生的財富的一種方式，正如他們在工業革命期間贏得周末休假的權利一樣。

 

“它將減輕工作和家庭生活的壓力，並可以改善性別平等。已經嚐試過的公司表示，它對生產力和員工福祉更有利，”TUC經濟負責人凱特貝爾說。

 

谘詢公司J. Walter Thompson的趨勢專家Lucie Greene表示，在特斯拉老板埃倫·馬斯克（Elon Musk）發布推文“沒有人每周40小時改變世界”之後，一係列批評指數強調過度工作。

 

格林說：“人們開始從我們現在所擁有的24小時數字生活中退後一步，並從與工作的不斷聯係中認識到心理健康問題。”

 

最近對包括美國，英國和德國在內的八個國家的3,000名員工進行的一項調查發現，近一半的人認為，如果他們沒有中斷，他們可以在一天五小時內輕鬆完成任務，但不管怎樣，許多人每周超過40小時 - 與美國一路領先，49％的人表示他們加班加點。

 

“一直有工作蔓延。因為你總是擁有這項技術，所以你總是在工作，所以人們都會被燒壞，”執行發展公司Future Workplace的主管Dan Schawbel說道，他與Kronos進行了這項調查。

 

36歲的軟件工程師Schulz-Hofen在認識到他需要在十年的緊張工作推出Planio之後需要放慢速度時，對自己進行了為期四天的測試，他的工具讓他能夠詳細追蹤他的時間。

 

“我在四天內完成的工作少於五天，因為在五天內，你認為你有更多的時間，你需要更長的時間，你可以讓自己有更多的打擾，你喝咖啡的時間更長或者與同事聊天，“Schulz-Hofen說。

 

“我意識到有四天，我必須要快，如果我想要獲得自由星期五，我必須集中注意力。”

 

Schulz-Hofen和他的團隊在解決周一至周四工作的每個人之前討論了各種選擇。他們拒絕靈活工作時間的想法，因為它增加了行政管理的複雜性，而且每周工作時間較短，因為工作時間過於容易。

 

在星期五打電話的客戶聽到錄製的消息，解釋為什麽沒有人在辦公室。

 

“我們得到了客戶的意外反應。我們的大多數客戶都沒有抱怨。他們隻是嫉妒，”Schulz-Hofen說。

 

WPP旗下的廣告公司Gray New York於4月推出了一項計劃，允許員工每周工作四天，獲得85％的全職工資。

 

Schawbel希望這個想法可以在更多的公司和國家流行，但可能不是他自己的：“我認為美國將是周一早上關閉的最後一個國家，因為我們已經習慣了這種工作方式。”

Burnout stress lead step back from the 24-hour digital life

Burnout, stress lead more companies to try 4-day workweek

Emma Thomasson

 

It sounds too good to be true, but companies around the world that have cut their workweek have found that it leads to higher productivity, more motivated staff and less burnout.

 

"It is much healthier and we do a better job if we're not working crazy hours," said Jan Schulz-Hofen, founder of Berlin-based project management software company Planio, who introduced a four-day week to the company's 10-member staff earlier this year.

 

In New Zealand, insurance company Perpetual Guardian reported a fall in stress and a jump in staff engagement after it tested a 32-hour week earlier this year.

 

Even in Japan, the government is encouraging companies to allow Monday mornings off, although other schemes in the workaholic country to persuade employees to take it easy have had little effect.

 

Britain's Trades Union Congress (TUC) is pushing for the whole country to move to a four-day week by the end of the century, a drive supported by the opposition Labour party.

 

The TUC argues that a shorter week is a way for workers to share in the wealth generated by new technologies like machine learning and robotics, just as they won the right to the weekend off during the industrial revolution.

 

"It would reduce the stress of juggling working and family life and could improve gender equality. Companies that have already tried it say it's better for productivity and staff wellbeing," said TUC economic head Kate Bell.

 

Lucie Greene, trends expert at consultancy J. Walter Thompson, said there was a growing backlash against overwork, underlined by a wave of criticism after Tesla boss Elon Musk tweeted that "nobody ever changed the world on 40 hours a week."

 

"People are starting to take a step back from the 24-hour digital life we have now and realize the mental health issues from being constantly connected to work," Greene said.

 

A recent survey of 3,000 employees in eight countries including the United States, Britain and Germany found that nearly half thought they could easily finish their tasks in five hours a day if they did not have interruptions, but many are exceeding 40 hours a week anyway - with the United States leading the way, where 49 percent said they worked overtime.

 

"There has been work creep. Because you always have the technology, you are always working, so people are getting burned out," said Dan Schawbel, director of executive development firm Future Workplace, which conducted the survey with Kronos.

 

Schulz-Hofen, a 36-year-old software engineer, tested the four-day week on himself after realizing he needed to slow down following a decade of intense work launching Planio, whose tools allowed him to track his time in detail.

 

"I didn't get less work done in four days than in five because in five days, you think you have more time, you take longer, you allow yourself to have more interruptions, you have your coffee a bit longer or chat with colleagues," Schulz-Hofen said.

 

"I realized with four days, I have to be quick, I have to be focused if I want to have my free Friday."

 

Schulz-Hofen and his team discussed various options before settling on everybody working Monday to Thursday. They rejected the idea of flexible hours because it adds administrative complexity, and were against a five-day week with shorter hours as it is too easy for overwork to creep back in.

 

Clients who call on a Friday hear a recorded message explaining why nobody is at the office.

 

"We got an unexpected reaction from customers. Most of our clients did not complain. They were just jealous," Schulz-Hofen said.

 

Grey New York, an ad agency owned by WPP, launched a program in April to allow staff to work a four-day week for 85 percent of their full-time salary.

 

Schawbel expects the idea to catch on in more companies and countries, but probably not his own: "I think America will be the last country to give us Monday mornings off because we're so used to this way of working."