Americans are working less

[HemiEd]

I have my own theories on this, such as the stay at home working during covid and the stimulus money being the worst thing that has happened in a very long time.


Why Americans Are Working Less

Gallup finds that average hours worked have dropped progressively since 2019 when U.S. employees reported working an average of 44.1 hours. In 2024, they work 42.9 hours per week.

The decline in hours worked is more pronounced among younger (those younger than 35) than older workers (those aged 35 and older). Between 2019 and 2024, older employees have seen an average reduction of just under one hour per person per week, while younger employees have reduced their hours by nearly two hours.

Over a year, that’s the equivalent of older employees taking an extra week off of work and younger employees taking two weeks. These trends apply to full-time employees working at least 30 hours per week.

Possible Reasons for the Drop in Average Hours Worked per Week
Several new findings may explain this shift:

Overall employee wellbeing has been on the decline.
Employees now have less trust in institutions in general and feel more detached from their employers.
After a decade of steady improvement, employee engagement has reverted to its 2014 level.
Advances in technology may be making work more efficient. Gallup finds that nearly half (45%) of employees say AI has helped them improve their productivity. However, a workforce that is becoming more technically efficient and less engaged may lack the motivation needed for long-term growth.
Employees -- especially younger ones -- now place a higher priority on their overall wellbeing. In fact, work-life balance and better overall wellbeing now rank among the most important considerations when choosing a new job.
Additionally, data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows declines in overall hours worked per person, particularly in industries that traditionally employ more young workers such as retail, leisure and hospitality.

The Connection Between Hours Worked and Employee Burnout
Burnout may be a major reason why employees are working fewer hours. The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified “burnout” as a work-related syndrome resulting from chronic stress.

Previous Gallup research has found that an unmanageable workload is one of the contributing factors to burnout. This may help explain why employees report higher burnout (very often or always) as the number of hours they work rises above 45 hours per week.

more here

https://www.gallup.com/workplace/658...78644b3aaad4a0

[Dunerdr]

See ya in DC.

[HemiEd]

Originally Posted by Dunerdr

See ya in DC.

Yeah, I thought about that after already posting it. Thought it was a pretty interesting subject though.

[Monticore]

29 years full time at 37.5 hours a week is plenty for me lol , I got asked to do OT yesterday told them to shove it.

[RealSNR]

Skyy Moore does the work of 10 Americans and still sucks

[Mr_Tomahawk]

Work smarter, not harder.

[Mosbonian]

Originally Posted by Mr_Tomahawk

Work smarter, not harder.

Hearing this reminds me of a speaker who was at a team building seminar sponsored by the company I worked for....

He put the above quote on the board and asked how many people believed in that saying. Almost everyone raised their hands....

He said....in today's work environment too many of the people who say that are not your best workers because most of them are really looking for a way to achieve more without putting in any real effort.

He said the real way to state this is...."how can I work smarter but still put in the effort that is necessary to achieve my goals and the company goals".

[ThaVirus]

Originally Posted by Bl00dyBizkitz

I feel this, too. Unless you love your job to death, how does anyone live a fulfilling life working that much at a job they hate? Providing for your family is one thing, but if thats the only thing, you're effectively throwing yourself into a human meat grinder. In fact, this generation probably saw their parents doing exactly that and the consequences of it, and vowed NEVER to live their life like that.

Yeah, my parents worked and I know it’s what they had to do but my mom worked second shift at factories for a good portion of my childhood. 12 hour days from 12:00-12:00 six days per week. She missed a lot of time with us and I would never want that cycle repeated in my life with my children. I’ll avoid that lifestyle at any cost.

Originally Posted by luv

"In fact, work-life balance and better overall wellbeing now rank among the most important considerations when choosing a new job."

I wonder if the people saying that have mortgages or children. For me, it's still wage and benefits package. Of course, I'm considered an older worker now.

Regarding technology, something I do love is that I now have the opportunity to work from home when my kid is sick or the roads are bad.

It also helps to have an awesome boss who allows me to occasionally alter my schedule (come in early, work through lunch, etc) whenever my kid or I have some sporting thing early in the evening that I need to leave a little early to make.

God bless those bosses who don’t trip about shit like that.

[RealSNR]

[Pepe Silvia]

Originally Posted by RealSNR

We're like closed or something.

[chiefzilla1501]

A lot of it is also the gig economy especially with younger generations. They're less inclined to work the same job, same company for 40 years. They may pick up random gigs like setting up an Etsy shop or an Uber shift.

On the one hand there isn't as much loyalty. On the other hand we may see a surge in entrepreneurship. Actually not terrible qualities considering how much AI and automation is going to disrupt the future of work

[Bearcat]

I wonder what salary increases look like, too, since Covid.... I'd guess maybe just now recovering in the past year or so, combined with work from home making it easier to get off work.

On one hand, my current salary is definitely tied to working assloads of hours in my 20s and 30s (and I always found it funny how the people who worked the least tended to complain the most about how much they got paid)... OTOH, if your company doesn't basically guarantee they're doing everything they can to make working assloads of hours pay off, then **** 'em.

[HemiEd]

Originally Posted by Bearcat

I wonder what salary increases look like, too, since Covid.... I'd guess maybe just now recovering in the past year or so, combined with work from home making it easier to get off work.

On one hand, my current salary is definitely tied to working assloads of hours in my 20s and 30s (and I always found it funny how the people who worked the least tended to complain the most about how much they got paid)... OTOH, if your company doesn't basically guarantee they're doing everything they can to make working assloads of hours pay off, then **** 'em.

That was always my experience. The more effort and dedication you put in, the better you got paid in the long run.

[Hoover]

hmm what happened. between 2019 and 2024....

[Couch-Potato]

Good.