Twenty-five years ago, a world of shorter working hours seemed tantalisingly close. We stood at the cusp of the computer revolution, a development surely destined to release us from many of life's more mundane and time-consuming activities. Thus freed, and luxuriating in a four-day working week, we could indulge ourselves in family and community pursuits. We would be a healthier, better-informed and well-balanced people.
It did not, of course, work out that way. We are working longer hours, often with greater responsibilities, while, paradoxically, the numbers of unemployed have increased. Just how awry the process has gone is suggested by an American market researcher's international survey of working hours. South Koreans had the dubious distinction of topping the workaholic list; they work an average 55.1 hours a week. New Zealand was not included in the survey but official statistics suggest we clock up an average 38.2 hours. This placed us well down the list, below even the British, who tallied 41.9 hours.
But the survey means little, other than confirming that many people work too hard for their own good. The true measure of work lies in the individual productivity of workers, not their hours of toil. The fact that people in developed Asian countries work an average 49.4 hours must be placed in context. Mostly they work in labour-intensive manufacturing and their individual productivity is low. But their extreme hours of work produce problems that perhaps we anticipated instinctively in relishing the prospect of shorter working hours.
Tens of thousands of Japanese die, commit suicide or fall ill every year from long working hours - so much so that they invented a word, karoshi, for the consequences of overwork. Karoshi afflicts all links in the company chain, from manager to production-line worker. In the Western world it is more often associated with executives, who at least receive rewards to match their responsibilities.
Worldwide, however, long hours have consequences for everyone. A Cornell University study found that about 10 per cent of people working at least 50 hours a week reported conflict at home. Extend the work hours to 60 or more and the reports of conflict reached 30 per cent. Longer hours and job insecurity have also been linked to health problems. The World Health Organisation predicts that in 20 years, stress will account for half of the world's 10 biggest medical problems.
If New Zealand has escaped the worst of such ills, it has also done little to eliminate them. Germany tried, shortening working hours and increasing holidays. The result was a surge in labour costs and increased unemployment as many companies shifted production abroad. Eventually Germany reined in its experiment to one of more flexible working practices, where working hours were often tailored to cycles of demand.
Now France has ventured down the same road. It has cut the working week from 39 to 35 hours. Perhaps it has learned from some of Germany's mistakes. Firms individually negotiate the switch to shorter working hours - whether it involves a regular half or full day off or extra holiday time. So far, the results seem impressive. Consumer confidence is at historic highs, a result in part of a more secure labour market. The extra leisure time has accelerated consumer spending, and 59 per cent of French workers feel their daily life has improved.
Not that all are happy. Economists are waiting to assess how production will be affected. Some believe the cost may be negligible, but for the wrong reasons. A quarter of workers say they are under more stress because they have to cram the same tasks into shorter hours. Some low-skilled workers are also angry at having to take pay cuts in exchange for shorter hours.
Therein lies the flaw in the French scheme. Some will always chose to work long hours, whether to advance their careers, for their family's well-being or because demand for their service is high. But eventually they must find a balance between work and leisure or risk paying a health or family cost. They have to recognise also that long hours diminish efficiency, in both the short term and over a lifetime.
Each, however, must find that balance: it cannot be enforced.
<i>Editorial:</i> Work and leisure - a balancing act
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