[00:00.00] Working Hard or Hardly Working?

[00:05.49]According to a recent survery,employees in many companies today

[00:12.54]work linger hours than employees did in 1979.

[00:20.19]They also take shorter vacations.

[00:25.05]It seems that Americans are working harder today than ever before.

[00:32.21]Or are they?A management consultant,Bill Meyer,decided to find out.

[00:41.25]For three days,he observed an investment banker hand at work.

[00:48.30]Meyer wrote down everything the banker did during hsi long workday

[00:56.35]-the banker owrked 80 hours a week.

[01:01.20]At the end of the three-day period,

[01:05.75]Meyer reviewed the banker's activities with him.

[01:11.21]What did they find out?

[01:15.86]They discovered that the man spent 80 percent fo his time doing busy work.

[01:24.22]For example,he attended unnecessary meetings,

[01:30.78]made redundant telephone calls,

[01:35.43]and spent time packing and unpacking his two big briefcases.

[01:42.48]Apparently,many people believe that the more time a person spends at work,

[01:49.92]the more she or he accomplishes.

[01:55.17]However,the connection between time and productivity is not always positive.

[02:03.64]anyone's productivity and creativity begin to decrease.

[02:15.18]Furthermore,it is not always easy for individuals

[02:21.64]to realize that their performance is falling off.

[02:27.98]Part of the problem is understandable.

[02:33.13]When employers evaluate employees,

[02:38.59]they often consider the amount of time

[02:43.13]on the job in addition to job performance.

[02:48.59]Employees know this.

[02:53.14]Consequently,they work longer hours

[02:58.49]and take less vacation time than they did nine years age.

[03:04.95]Although many working people can do their job effectively

[03:11.90]during a regular 40-hour work week.

[03:16.96]they feel they have to spend more time on the job

[03:23.00]after normal working hours so that the people who promote them see them.

[03:30.55]A group of head-hunters

[03:35.30](people who search out executive personnel for companies)

[03:41.05]were asked their opinion about a situation.

[03:46.40]They had a choice fo two candidates

[03:51.44]for an executive positioon with an important company.

[03:57.19]The candidates had comparable qualifications for the job.

[04:04.24]For example,they were both reliable.

[04:09.50]One could do the job well in a 40-hour work week.

[04:15.56]The other would do the same job in an 80-hour week just as well.

[04:23.21]According to a head-hunting expert,

[04:28.56]the 80-hour-a-week candidate would get the job.

[04:34.52]The time this candidate spends on the job

[04:40.16]may encourage other employees to spends to spend more time at work,too.

[04:47.22]Employers believe that if the employees stay at work later,

[04:54.06]they may actually do more work.

[04:58.81]5 people do not work long hours only for more money.

[05:05.58]In such fields as advertising,show business,and journalism,

[05:13.42]the glamour and publicity are worth more than any monetary benefit.

[05:20.89]On the other hand,many employees are not willing to spend so much extra,

[05:28.54]unproductive time at the office.

[05:33.27]Once they finish their work satisfactorily,

[05:38.21]they want to relax and enjoy themselves.

[05:43.56]For these people,the solution is to find a company

[05:49.52]that encourages people to do both.