Our obsession with working long hours and multitasking are making British businesses and their workers less, rather than more, productive, claims new research.

A study of several hundred executives in a range of industries across the UK found most people have failed to adapt sensibly to the advent of modern technology leaving them little or no time to switch off and recharge their batteries.

The survey found that less than one in four workers leave their desk for lunch, only a fifth admit to relaxing more than 30 minutes a day, 66 per cent can't go more than two hours without email, one in 10 check work messages on vacation or don't take their full holiday entitlement and 62 per cent admit they don't have time for friends and family.

Jean Gomes, chairman of the Energy Project Europe and co-author of the book 'The Way We're Working Isn't Working', claims the survey only confirms that humans are not designed to work like computers. It is estimated that we waste at least two hours a day trying to complete more than one activity simultaneously in an effort to save time even though research has shown it takes at least 25 per cent longer to multitask than it does to complete a series of tasks individually.

“There is no such thing as multitasking,” said Mr Gomes. The brain isn't capable of focusing on two activities at the same time. We think we can, but we can't. “When we focus on one thing and then move our attention to another there is a time lag in getting reconnected. Studies show it takes about 25 per cent longer to accomplish tasks when you're switching between them. “The other thing that happens is that a person's IQ drops. Not only does it take longer to get things done but we don't do them as well.”
More than 42 million people in the UK are thought to suffer from stress, which is now one of the most common causes of workplace absence and is estimated to cost the economy £3.7 billion a year in lost productivity.

The new research, which questioned a number of top executives and senior managers across the UK found that many people had fallen into a long-hours culture almost by accident.

Mr Gomes added the advent of mobile communications has created a situation similar to the mythical frog in a pan on the stove which, despite the rising temperature of the water around it, doesn't register it's being cooked until too late.
“Many of us have negatively and unconsciously adapted to the notion of internet time - the expectation that we should always be on - we only truly perform at our best when we regularly renew,” said Mr Gomes.
“It's a myth that top performers are at their best with no sleep, no holidays and no breaks during the day. The very top performers across all disciplines employ recovery as the means to achieving the best performance.
"The fact that it leads to a happier and more satisfying life all round should be embraced by employers looking to find some positive news in these challenging economic times."

Our View
We have to learn to work smarter not longer. Humans are not machines; we are not designed to work continuously at high speed for long hours. The key to increasing productivity is not putting in more hours in the workplace but using the hours we have to accomplish better results.
If firms want to increase their performance they have to ease the pressure on staff instead of increasing it. Rest and recuperation is just as important as having fuel for delivery trucks or electricity for machinery. Without energy people - and businesses - simply grind to a halt, however there are some very simple strategies that can help businesses overcome productivity issues.

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