Does Working More Reduce Productivity?

Does Working More Reduce Productivity?

In the American society, there is a popular belief implying that working more, rather than working smarter in a healthy amount of time, is the most effective way to get work done. Working too much has become an epidemic in the American society. People have lost families, developed health disorders, and several other problems due to working too much, a disease sometimes referred to as workaholism. Some minor examples of people working too much however include, but aren’t limited to: pulling all-nighters and pushing one’s self to extreme limits of exhaustion. In comparison to the human body, the computer even has a difficult time processing too much information. In the human body, this may be referred to as “information overload.” In most pure command economies, workers must reach a quota, and overwork themselves to meet that quota, focusing on meeting the quota rather than meeting quality standards. People also overwork themselves to the point that it affects their body in the forms of exhaustion and/or stress. Stress causes counterproductivity because stress has the ability to not only take a worker’s mind off of his/hers work, but also, can affect the body in a negative way. Is overworking really the solution to the problem, or does it, in turn create more problems? Working more has the capacity to be counterproductive because it creates stress, creates subpar-quality work, it leads to mistakes, and can “burn out” someone even before their work has begun.

In certain economies, the government controls the type of goods that need to be produced, and the amount of that good that must be produced. In most pure command economies, workers must reach a quota, and overwork themselves to meet tha...

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