How to stop punching the clock at work and have more work-life balance

About 1 in 3 Americans make at least one New Year’s resolution , according to Pew Research. While most of these vows focus on weight loss, fitness, and other health-related goals, many fall into a distinct category: work. Work-related New Year’s resolutions tend to focus on someone’s current job and career, whether to find a new job or, if the timing and conditions are right, whether to embark on a new career path. We’re an organizational psychologist and a philosopher who have teamed up to study why people work—and what they give up for it . We believe that there is good reason to consider concerns that apply to many if not most professionals: how much work to do and when to get it done, as well as how to make sure your work doesn’t harm your physical and mental health—while attaining some semblance of work-life balance . Country music icon Dolly Parton wrote and sang the theme song in the movie ‘9 to 5,’ and had a starring role as well. How we got here Most Americans consider the 40-hour workweek, which calls for employees being on the job from nine to five, to be a standard schedule . This ubiquitous notion is the basis of a hit Dolly Parton song and 1980 comedy film, “9 to 5,” in which the country music star had a starring role. Microsoft Outlook calendars by default shade those hours with a different color than the rest of the day. This schedule didn’t always reign supreme. Prior to the Great Depression, which lasted from 1929-1941, 6-day workweeks were the norm . In most industries, U.S. workers got Sundays off so they could go to church. Eventually, it became customary for employees to get half of Saturday off too. Legislation that President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law as part of his sweeping New Deal reforms helped establish the 40-hour workweek as we know it today. Labor unions had long advocated for this abridged schedule , and their activism helped crystallize it across diverse occupations. Despite many changes in technology as well as when and how work gets done, these hours have had a surprising amount of staying power . Americans work longer hours In general, workers in richer countries tend to work fewer hours . However, in the U.S. today, people work more on average than in most other wealthy countries. For many Americans, this is not so much a choice as it is part of an entrenched working culture . There are many factors that can interfere with thriving at work, including boredom, an abusive boss, or an absence of meaning and purpose. In any of those cases, it’s worth asking whether the time spent at work is worth it. Only 1 in 3 employed Americans say that they are thriving. What’s more, employee engagement is at a 10-year low . For both engaged and disengaged employees, burnout increased as the number of work hours rose. People who were working more than...

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