Longer Working Hours and Effects on Contemporary Organizational Behavior - Coursework Example

Longer Working Hours and Effects on Contemporary Organizational Behavior Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Name and Code: University: Date of Submission: Longer Working Hours and Effects on Contemporary Organizational Behavior Introduction Workers should enjoy their duty processes and interact freely with fellows as well as leaders to ensure effective service dispensation. Peaceful and accommodative work environment provide the platform for excellent organizational performance. Ideally, this is because workers enjoy comfort and regard working hours as satisfactory as well as accommodative to their demands. Contrarily, a “poisoned work environment” is one that all workers are never free to serve and is characterized by dismal employee performance and interrelations (Ahmad & Omar 2010). In such environments, workers’ toil for long hours, have little time for their families, and do not get a chance to reevaluate and refresh their lives. Additionally, their rights are never important; there is poor relation amongst the leaders and employees themselves (Clutterbuck 2003, p. 15). Victims of longer working hours usually suffer psychological disturbance and can be noted through their frequency in poor performance as well as fatigue. Since employee efforts remain thwarted by the management, motivation as well as trust fades from these workers, making it hard for companies to gain any profits (Yousef 2001). Thus it is evident that longer working hours is one that disregards employee rights and is demeaning to development and constructive competition. Generally, affected employees under these situations develop psychological complexities characterized by classical conditioning, repetitive lifestyles, and lack of transformational or innovative skills. In the present globalized world, organizations continue to face competitive environments resulting in the need to enhance more capacity to efficiency as well as effectiveness (Altman 2006, p. 18). As a result, there arises a significant demand and performance measure on the few available employees, leading to a more stressful and demanding work circumstances. These lead to initialization of longer working hours, characterized by employee stress as well as over-exploitation. Countries such as the UK presently face diverse challenges emanating from the problem of workers experiencing stressful longer working durations (Cooper 2008, p. 24). This paper thus discusses the impacts of longer working hours, explains the fundamental theories underlying these effects and relates these to the context of present contemporary organizational culture. Longer Working Hours, Effects on Personal and Professional Identities, and Commitment Culture The growing contemporary world has brought significant changes within organizations as well as their cultures. Of the most significant factor is the issue of longer working durations that have resulted into considerably effects on organizational cultures, employee lifestyles, as well as behavior in the contemporary world. Since workplace success depends on individual dedication to duty, the globalization has created more emphasis on the e need to maximize employee input and skills into the e production process. The consequence is a series of longer work commitment times; leading to significant to significant influences on the individuals’ lives (Caputi, Foster & Viney 2006, p. 10). Workers within an organization comprise one of the vital factors eminent within the contingency approach. Technology, work environment, tasks, as well as management structure also constitute some of the reasons for as well as the impacts of longer working hours according to the contingency model. The contemporary workplaces are characterized by dedication to ethical conduct, the significance of worker capital, the “command and control” approach as well as the manipulations from information technology (Gillan 2005). Thus, as organization refers to a group of persons working cooperatively within a specific division of labor with an aim of attaining a collective objective. With the practice of longer work durations within Britain, there is likelihood that the country’s health as well as productivity is yet to flop (Winstanley & Woodall 2000, p. 200). It is evident that as many persons engage in the practice of longer work hours, they experience more stress, are face with disrupted family types, and may as well suffer significant depression (Cooper 2008, p. 74). Economists argue that the increased life demands and advanced life standards coupled with financial constraints and the pressure for excellent performance from employers and corporate world lead to the effect of longer work duration. Certain American surveys have revealed that long working durations heightens a person’s susceptibility to illnesses as well as injury (Peiperl & Jones 2000). Notably, persons working 12 hours every day have approximately 37% rise in susceptibility relative to those working for lesser hours (Leka, Griffiths & Cox 2003). It is evident that Ronald Reagan’s perceptions of “Hard work never killed anyone” remain grossly misplaced (Yousef 2001). Death due to longer working durations within Britain may not be news to many people. However, it is observable that this issue still remains grossly unremarked upon. For instance, during 2003, a pediatrician fatigued following duty for 100 hours within one week, passed away after opting for the use of anesthetic. There are several instance of death after long hours of duty, nit just reported within Britain exclusively (Guest 2001). The question is, why the long hour duties? Another example is the death of a British Airways pilot following several hours of concentration on flight. According to a US study featuring in the “Occupational and Environmental Medicine,” extra time as well as extended duty schedules is linked to elevated susceptibility to hypertension, circulatory and heart complications, fatigue, as well as stress and depression (Gillan 2005). Other related complications include musculoskeletal abnormities, chronic illnesses, diabetes as well as other complex health complaints. Experts have noted that if an individual works constantly for long durations, the person may experience damage to his or her health, both physically as well as psychologically. Britain experiences the second-longest duty presently within the industrialized world, just following US. Working smarter is more preferable than longer durations as it encourages flexibility (Guest 2001). This is more applicable especially with the emergence of globalization as well as information technology. Jobs constitute the major reasons for stress-related complications, causing severe effects on employees’ physical as well as mental health. Another notable effect is the involvement of the extended members of the society in the web of stress since workers are more likely to carry their depression home to their families. In the contemporary world, this presently emerges as a great public health risk. A part from being destructive to individuals, this culture is detrimental to organizations since it relates directly to reduced output and worker efficiency (Clutterbuck 2003, p. 76). This perhaps explains why Britain remains the least-regulated nation within the entire Europe. Additionally, it is a lowly productive developed world. Due to this culture, people have disrupted sex lives and there is considerably limited time to spend with loved ones as well as families. In addition, community service, socializing, leisure as well as recreation initiatives have collapsed. Surveys indicate that four of every five workers had duties exceeding 60 hours every week and only 10 had only four hours' rest every night (Kossek, Colquitt & Noe 2001). It is evident as indicated by most studies that this practice results to lapses within concentration therefore causing accidents as well serious fatalities. Organizations have set strategic cultures to be able to thrive in the globalized competitive business arena. Consequently employees have adopted such cultures and integrated the influence of long work durations in their lifestyles. The result is an advance commitment to the bad culture of “workaholics” (Ahmad & Omar 2010). There is a plain deception that the practice is an adherence to organizational beliefs, strategies, as well as goals. This cliché of “commitment culture” enables the managers as well as employer to deceive their employees into self-dedication into duty, therefore consuming a significant portion of their time duty. Workers spend longer duration s in workplaces due to several reasons. Foremost is the need for economic empowerment. In this context, it is noted that most people have adopted the “work to live culture” rather than the “live to work culture” (Gillan 2005). Secondly, there is commitment to culture of long hour duty adopted by employees due to impacts of organizational pressure. However, it is notable that some persons adopt this detrimental practice willingly. This is because they possess great passion for their duties. Alternatively, they perceive this as a worthwhile venture in their career. Nonetheless, most study revelations indicate that several workers long to be on duty for lesser durations and that many children would sacrifice material gains whenever they had more times with the parents. The effects of this practice in family life as well as the marital world are unavoidable particularly in the contemporary world. Globalization is seen to as a principal factor in heightening the pressure on organizations to lower their labor and consequently raise the workloads (Yousef 2001). Additionally, the increase in consumerism as well as the reduction of trade union strength has also contributed to work intensification. The recent advent in mobile technology has both constructive as well as detrimental influences on the culture of workaholic. For instance, mobile technology offers wide opportunities for adaptable working. However, they are contrarily portrayed as principal agents and catalylists of workaholic traits particularly amongst the vulnerable workers (Gillan 2005). The contemporary work environment has led to significant personal as well as professional identities within workers. Workers strive at the start of their professions to establish identities within their varied disciplines. This explains why other might adopt the overwork culture. In such situations, workers have a craving to be the who? Apart from this, the required skills, otherwise termed “the what” of particular job may pressurize the workers towards an intensive work culture (Altman 2006, p. 148). This is in attempt to actualize and measure up to the non-realistic expectations given by the organizations. The overwork culture also depends on the time and where the worker is employed. This is because firms have different strategies at different times of the calendar. Organizations also have diverse policies (Kossek, Colquitt & Noe 2001). Why as well as how determines the professional identity of the workers. It is evident that without effective contemporary organizational strategies, certain work processes might prove very tedious as well as involving or time-consuming (Guest 2001). For instance, application of certain technologies may help to ease the work processes within organizations. It is thus clear that there are several factors that influence personal as well as organizational; identities of workers within an organization. Overwork Cultures, Effects of IT and Failure of Work-Life Balance in Contemporary Organizations As earlier noted, long working durations are linked to a diverse range of physical as well as psychological complications, notwithstanding the strains encountered at home. There are suggestions that workers’ motives for this practice as well as their attitudes remain vital factors in this association (Kossek, Colquitt & Noe 2001). Dissimilarity is created between passions for an individual’s work, which is assumed to be a vital indicator of comfort, work satisfaction as well as organizational citizenship conducts, and an attachment to job that is probable to cause more pathological results. Constance Noonan Hadley illustrates a parallel in adoring individuals’ work as well as romantic love (Caputi, Foster & Viney 2006, p. 24). In this theory, both aspects are never wholly rational and entail passion, intimacy as well as dedication. These authors illustrate that similar to romantic love, "job love" creates powerful fulfillment, enthusiasm as well as feelings of bond, they indicate that persons experiencing “job love” risk denunciation, degradation of their self-esteem as well as obsession resulting into disentanglement with other domains of life (Yousef 2001). Numerous theories in workaholic behavior depend on biological, behavioral, as well as emotional aspects. Additionally, they also assume factors within cognitive, motivational as well as social-system perspectives (Altman 2006, p. 245). As there exist diverse reasons that make individuals workaholics, there is agreement that no sole model or therapeutic strategy may appropriately be used in effectively explaining it. Studies approximate that about 44% of employees utilize up their whole entitlement to yearly leave. Some reasons stated for refusing paid holiday usually included a huge workload as well as fear for disappointing the boss (Lewin 2006, p. 124). Perceptions on the preferable durations that is regarded as long hours differ with regard to the nature of job as well as what are assumed the norm in a specific workplace. Within certain organizations, workers reportedly hold on duty up to 100 hours every week or even excess of this. However, sustained working for excess or more hours every week on top of contracted durations is regarded to be the long hours. Organizational policies initiate the basis for overwork culture in the contemporary world (Clutterbuck 2003, p. 11). Work pressure emanating from heavier workloads, highly demanding clientele, higher levels of competition, less number of employees as well as tighter budgets result into overwork cultures. Work organization, aspects of prioritization, as well as individual inefficiencies also leads to overwork culture. The “long-hours cultures” which is regarded to be demonstrating dedication or commitment may lead to the emergence of overwork culture. Evident examples are notable in the managers’ commitment to working for considerably longer durations (Gillan 2005). Job insecurity as well as person’s feeling the desire to showcase their indispensability may also contribute to this culture. Furthermore, the strong commitment in persons towards their duties, their fellows as well as clients results into the overwork culture (Kossek, Colquitt & Noe 2001). Thus individual satisfaction as well as passion also contributes to the culture. Lastly, the overwork culture emanates from the desire to increase the take-home pay. Employees satisfy this desire by applying overtime payments, sometimes commission, as well as performance allied pay. Observably, the practice has detrimental impacts on persons, organizations, and extends to the whole economy as wells as their societies (Clutterbuck 2003, p. 115). Long working hours may result into unpleasant impacts on individual interaction, families, communal lives, as well as community activities. Additionally, diseases may result and there is likely to be minimized job vacancies for persons, especially ones with caring roles. Although overwork cultures may be perceived by organizations as a method for obtaining the highest benefit from limited resources, this is contrarily not sustainable (Caputi, Foster & Viney 2006, p. 120). There are detrimental consequences of the overwork cultures and these include amplified sickness absence, stumpy morale as well as high turnover. There is also minimized productivity as well as meager work quality. Furthermore, the organization experiences greater health as well as safety risks. ICT development is viewed to cause more cases of overwork culture. Evidently, the emergence of mobile technologies as well as computers has made most people to carry jobs home (Perry-Smith & Blum 2000). This propagates the overwork cultures as employees get more assignments or overtime jobs to complete more conveniently while at home. The issue about “Failure of Work-Life Balance” has been for a long time a great concern for individuals with interests on the quality of “working life,” as well as its link to the general life quality (Ahmad & Omar 2010). Work-life balance strongly emerges within contemporary debates mainly due to the fact that within wealthy societies, the extra demands in work are viewed to showcase a distinctive concern that requires being resolved. Influences regarding the developments in workplaces or environments might be viewed to be catapulting the challenge off work-life imbalance. Consequently, the factors regarding to life out of the work environment are perceived as results of work-life imbalance (Cooper 2008, p. 224). Additionally, those involving persons as well as their lives that results in the necessity to resolve the problems in work-life balance might be viewed to be contemporary policy concerns. Work pressures for employees have been increasing in the preset times. Issues like increased usage of information technology as well as information load may be potential causes of pressure (Gillan 2005). It is evident that in the globalized contemporary times, the needs of jobs continue to characterize life and the logic of work-life imbalance emerge. Notably, the clash between the burden of duties as well as the decline in duty as an essential life interest outcomes within an imbalance (Altman 2006, p. 318). The segmentation theory potentiates that duty as well as non-duty are unique domains in life lived considerably separate and bear no manipulations on one another. Unlike this concept, a spillover theory stipulates that one domain is capable of manipulating another negatively or constructively (Leka, Griffiths & Cox 2003). Compensation model hypothesizes that whatever might be absent in a given sphere, relating to demands as well as satisfactions may be compensated in another (Yousef 2001). The instrumental theory is where a given sphere aid accomplishment within the other. Finally, the conflict theory hypothesizes that with elevated levels needs within the entire life domains, particular hard choices must be made. Conclusion It is evident that the contemporary organizational world immensely undergoes significant transformation given the increasing competition. These coupled with IT, results into more pressure on workers. The consequence of this is an adoption of overwork cultures which have detrimental impacts on employee as well as organizational performance. Personal factors influencing notions about work-life balance comprise inclination to work as well as the level to which job is a chief life interest. Additionally, there are issues of personality entailing the desire for attainment as well as propensity for job involvement. There needs to be more emphasis and awareness on the issue of longer working durations across all sectors to enhance performance and individuals’ lives.      List of References Ahmad, A & Omar, Z 2010, “Perceived Family- Supportive Work Culture, Affective Commitment and Turnover Intention of Employees,” Journal of American Science, Vol. 6, No. 12, pp. 829-846. Altman, M 2006, Handbook of contemporary behavioral economics: foundations and developments, M.E. Sharpe, New York, NY. Arnett, R 2007, Mid-Career Moves: Professional and Personal Identity, Viewed November 20, 2011 Yousef, D 2001, "Islamic work ethic – A moderator between organizational commitment and job satisfaction in a cross-cultural context," Personnel Review, Vol. 30, No. 2, pp. 152-169.  Caputi, P, Foster, H & Viney, L 2006, Personal constructs psychology: new ideas, John Wiley & Sons, New Jersey, NJ. 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