Canadian HR Reporter

Canadian HR RepoRteR april 6, 2015 News 9 YOU'RE INVITED. HR Executive Authors Series Luncheons Attend an interactive lunch session with Bill Conaty, former HR Chief at General Electric (GE) Working alongside legendary General Electric CEO Jack Welch, Bill Conaty helped shape modern HR practice as GE's SVP HR—particularly around leadership and talent management. Join the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA) for an intimate two-hour luncheon and discussion with Conaty as he discusses his recent book The Talent Masters: Why Smart Leaders Put People Before Numbers and why the main role of the CEO is to attract, assess and develop future talent for organizational success. Seating is limited. Learn more and register at: hrpa.ca/BCMay WHEN: MAY 8, 2015 - 11:30-1:30PM WHERE: ONE RESTAURANT - HAZELTON HOTEL, 116 YORKVILLE AVENUE, TORONTO they didn't have a day of rest. So in those weeks, output was really harmed," he said. "It's not only the length of the working week but also it's just the distribution over the week. So, in other words, workers need time for repair." e idea that more hours equals more accomplished is an illusion, said Lois Kennedy, productivity expert and president at project management consultants 3 Step Results in Toronto. "We're under the illusion that the more hours we put in, the better, and if we multi-task, we're getting more done. Both of those things are an illusion. You're ac- tually doing less — you're being less productive in working over 50 hours than working under," she said. "It's because you don't work to your potential. You get distracted, it's very hard to stay focused. You get tired and if you get tired, you get sick because stress sets in, and stress is awful with regards to our health." Risks to employer ere's a whole laundry list of risks to both employers and em- ployees when working hours are excessive, said Pencavel. Greater risk of workplace accidents or in- juries is one of the more obvious ones. "Other work has shown that accidents increase during over- time work — accidents, injuries, production of defective prod- ucts… output is just one dimen- sion of the costs of long working hours," he said. That could very well mean higher disability costs, benefit costs and insurance claims for employers, along with the need to replace injured employees or employees on stress leave, said Kennedy. "What employers don't under- stand is they ask less employees to do more and more and more, but what they're actually doing is overwhelming their employ- ees to the point that stress sets in and then they get sick. And then they're paying for people to be off (on leave)," she said. "If they burn out, then they're back to square one training new employees." e risk of injury goes up the longer people work consecutive- ly as fatigue increases, said Mus- tard — which is why there are legislative restrictions on hours of work. "Working long hours increases the risk of error," he said. "ere are some occupations where it's been recognized that from a public safety perspective, there should be even more specific definitions of the allowable du- ration of work." Some examples include long- distance truck drivers, commer- cial airline crews, doctors and nurses — all occupations that could pose health risks not just to the workers but to the public if work hours are excessive. Even if public safety is not at risk, there are real risks to an organization if fatigued employ- ees start to make errors, said Kennedy. "You can only work so long at your highest peak potential and then you get tired — and you make mistakes… that's when peo- ple start cutting corners because they just want to get it done. It is a risk (for the company)," she said. "So it's a vicious circle, this il- lusion that you can get more done when, in actual fact, if you planned your day better and stayed focused… (you'll) get more done." Stress, burnout and injury aren't the only health risks — working more than 48 hours per week has also been correlated with "risky" alcohol consump- tion, according to a 2015 Finnish Institute of Occupational Health study of more than 300,000 peo- ple — which could result in ad- ditional health concerns. e same study also found links between long working hours and raised blood pressure and un- healthy diets. Employers that still push for long work hours are likely just uninformed about the potential risks, said Pencavel. "Why would any employer that cares about profits, why would they ever set hours so long that it actually harms them? One would presume that it's because they don't know… they are not aware." Taking a thoughtful, balanced approach to the workday can create much higher productiv- ity than simply cramming in as many hours as possible, said Kennedy. "These people who work all these long hours, they're kind of like martyrs. ey don't take their breaks, they don't take their lunch — they just think if they work straight through, they're going to get more done. But our brains need energy and nutrients to work best," she said. "So it's really important — even if you just get up from your desk, grab a glass of water and go back, that does more than put- ting in an extra hour at the end of the day." 'People start cutting corners to get work done' loNG hours < pg. 1 "You can only work so long at your highest peak potential and then you get tired — and you make mistakes... that's when people start cutting corners."

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