Saturday, May 23, 2015

Why working harder or longer maynot be effective.



In “The Productivity of Working Hours” by John Pencavel, Department of Economics, Stanford University.  Observations on munition workers, most of them women, are organized to examine the relationship between their output and their working hours. The relationship is nonlinear:  below an hours threshold, output is proportional to hours; above a threshold, output rises at a decreasing rate as hours increase. Implications of these results for the estimation of labor supply functions are taken up. The findings also link up with current research on the effects of long working hours on accidents and injuries. Looking at findings like these, we come away with  the reasons we give for working more are wrong.  We should take time off from work to avoid stressors, take time with family, relax and renew our minds.  Allowing the brain to go through regular rest and stimulation cycles prepares your body for optimal activity.