Question:  What country’s workers log more time on the job than people in any other country? 

From what we read every day, it can sound like Americans are winning in terms of long hours, work-related stress, and poor work-life balance.   However the winning country is…South Korea!

According to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, this country is champion, working more hours per year than any other developed nation.  In 2007 they logged 2,316 hours yearly, on average, which was actually lower than their 2,592 from the previous decade.  Compare this with 1,794 hours in the United States.

After years of drilling into the population that their primary goal should be to build the nation’s economy, the government is now trying for a reversal.  The reason for this is that, despite the hours, the country’s productivity falls below all of the other 30 countries belonging to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, with the exception of some former Soviet-dominated nations.

In my time management seminars, we discuss the correlation between longer hours and declining productivity in a day.  Because of disorganization and multitasking attempts, American workers often drag out the day, staying late or bringing work home so that they can catch up.  Yet the more hours they work, the longer it takes to produce results.  Not every hour of the day is equal.

Rather than adding on hours, the answer is to find ways to limit distractions each day so that you actually get more done within a shorter period.  You can do this by grouping activities and by setting aside an uninterrupted block of time.  Save the majority of socializing for lunchtime, planned breaks, Happy Hour, or family time.

Taking your accrued vacations each year also helps you return refreshed.  You will find your creativity and focus are improved—and you get more done within the ‘normal’ work hours!

To find out more about how South Korean officials are trying to convince workers to take their annual vacation time, read the article by Evan Ramstad and Jaeyeon Woo in the Wall Street Journal.