The report entitled: “Working Time and Work-Life Balance Around the World” examines the two main aspects of working time: working hours and working time organization, and their effects on business performance and individuals' work-life balance.
The first aspect the study focuses on is work-life balance, finding that more than a third of all workers work more than 48 hours per week, while a fifth of the global workforce works reduced hours (part-time) or less than 35 hours per week.
The report also analyzes different organizations and how they manage working time, and their effects on work-life balance, such as shift work systems, compressed schedules, and average annual hours. It warns that the benefits of some of these flexible arrangements, such as a better family life, may be accompanied by costs such as greater gender imbalances and health risks.
The report includes a number of conclusions and recommendations, including the following:
- Working time laws and regulations regarding the maximum number of daily working hours and statutory rest periods are achievements that can contribute to the long-term health and well-being of a society and should therefore not be jeopardized.
- Longer working hours are generally associated with lower productivity, while shorter hours are linked to higher productivity.
- Countries should build on the experiences gained with reduced and flexible working hours during the COVID-19 crisis, including part-time arrangements with the highest possible benefits, not only to maintain employment but also to sustain purchasing power and create the possibility of offsetting the effects of economic crises.
- Public policy responses are needed to promote reductions in working hours in many countries, to promote a healthy work-life balance and improve productivity.
- Teleworking helps maintain jobs and creates new space for employee autonomy. However, this and other forms of flexible working arrangements must be regulated to contain their potential negative effects, through policies such as what is often called a "right to disconnect" from work.