Summary
Understanding Workaholic Trends in America
You’ve heard it before, and until it changes, you’ll likely hear it again: Americans are workaholics. Many of us take work to the next level, pushing beyond the standard eight-hour work day and even tacking on the occasional weekend just to get the job done. We check our email from bed and clock in on vacation. One study found that a whopping 48% of Americans consider themselves workaholics.
Exploring the Four-Day Workweek Concept
These days, with work-life balance being top of mind, some U.S. companies are toying with the idea of a four-day workweek, which has some wondering what a shorter workweek could really look like. This shift towards flexible working hours could potentially lead to a happier and more productive workforce.
OECD Research on Global Work Hours
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), an intergovernmental economic organization of 38 member countries, including nations like the U.S., Greece, New Zealand, and Sweden, conducted research on the average number of hours people work in a typical week globally. Although the latest numbers available are from 2020, the data provides valuable insights into what a standard workweek might look like in various countries, from Italy to Iceland.
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According to the OECD, the country with the shortest working week is the Netherlands, with a reported 29.5 weekly working hours. This translates to a four-day workweek with just 7.37-hour days. Denmark follows closely with 32.5 working hours a week, while Norway averages 33.6 hours. Switzerland stands at 34.6 hours per week, closely followed by Austria, Belgium, and Italy, each clocking in at 35.5 hours a week.
Surprisingly, the U.S. falls in the middle of the spectrum, with an average of 38.7 hours weekly, slightly below the traditional 40-hour workweek standard. On the other hand, the OECD country with the longest workweek is Colombia, averaging 47.6 hours per week, followed closely by Turkey at 45.6 hours and Mexico at 44.7.
The OECD data reflects the average usual weekly hours employees dedicate to their main jobs. Note that for some countries, including Canada, South Korea, Germany, and Australia, the 2020 data was inconclusive.
