Leaving work at five o’clock is increasingly a luxury for many North American employees. Workers are putting in longer hours than five years ago, a trend that threatens to increase disengagement from work, according to a new survey.
As many as 67% of employees in Canada and the United States are spending “a great deal more” hours at work compared to 2008, according to a 2013 poll by Right Management, the talent and career management team within ManpowerGroup. Another 10% of employees are working “somewhat” more compared to five years ago.
“Longer hours without a focus on engagement and motivation run the risk of driving disengagement,” according to Right Management. Engagement has been receiving a lot of attention lately given that employees, who are doing more with less within tight budgets, are becoming more stressed and disgruntled.
This is happening against the backdrop of a well-documented global skills shortage despite high unemployment levels in many countries. So companies are recognizing that nowadays, talent is their only source of sustainable advantage over the competition, according to Right Management.
“There are times when deadlines or projects command longer hours”, says Matt Norquist, general manager of Right Management’s northeast region. “But leaders need to connect the intensity of workloads with dialogue that aligns the work with individual employees’ ambitions, and the organizations’ broader strategic objectives.”
Conducted between August and September, the survey polled 325 employees.
Related articles: