Faculty & Research
Forty Hours Doesn't Work for Everyone: Examining Employee Preferences for Work Hours
Vol 8 No 18
By: Lindsey A. Zahn and Michael C. Sturman Ph.D.
Executive Summary:
Current economic conditions have caused many employers to reduce employees’ work hours—a trend that will likely continue if the economy worsens. Yet research on work hours is limited, as most studies in this area have focused on the effects of employees’ working in excess of a 40-hour work week. This report seeks to specifically examine the effect of “hours mismatch,” which is defined as the mismatch between the number of hours the employee desires to work and the actual number of hours worked. Based on a study of 1,032 individuals, the results show that hours mismatch is an important predictor of attitudinal outcomes, including life satisfaction, work-family conflict, job stress, and intent to turn over. Moreover, the measurement of difference is generally more predictive than simply measuring hours worked. The results show that working either more than the desired hours or less than desired hours has effects on attitudes like job stress, intent to turn over, and life satisfaction. Although employees disliked working “over hours,” a substantial shortage of work hours was far worse. Although employers may face the need to reduce workers’ hours, this study suggests the importance of taking into account workers’ preferences when determining work schedules, or at least understanding the kind of psychological impact that reduced hours will have on their workforce.
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- Forty Hours Doesn't Work for Everyone: Examining Employee Preferences for Work Hours By: Lindsey A. Zahn and Michael C. Sturman Ph.D.
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Other Reports or Articles You May Find of Interest
- Questioning Conventional Wisdom: Is a Happy Employee a Good Employee, or Do Other Attitudes Matter More?, by Michael Sturman and Sean A. Way
- The Importance of Behavioral Integrity in a Multicultural Workplace, by Tony Simons, Ray Friedman, Leigh Anne Liu, and Judi McLean Parks
- The Cost of Employee Turnover: When the Devil Is in the Details, by J. Bruce Tracey and Timothy R. Hinkin
About Michael C. Sturman Ph.D.
Michael C. Sturman teaches undergraduate, graduate and executive education courses on human resource management, compensation and cost-benefit analysis. His research focuses on the prediction of individual job performance over time, the influence of compensation systems, and the impact of human resource management on organizational performance. He has published research articles in such journals as the Journal of Applied Psychology, Academy of Management Journal, Personnel Psychology, and Journal of Management. He has also published practitioner papers in the Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, International Journal of Hospitality Management, Lodging Magazine, Lodging HR, A.A.H.O.A. Hospitality, HR.Com, and The American Compensation Association Journal. Sturman is the Kenneth and Marjorie Blanchard Professor of Human Resources. He holds a PhD, MS, and BS from Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, and is a Senior Professional of Human Resources as certified by the Society for Human Resource Management.
For more information visit http://www.hotelschool.cornell.edu/research/facultybios/faculty.html?id=96
