By Shyam Sundar Nagarajan
The debate around optimal work hours and productivity has intensified in recent years. On one end of the spectrum, some business veterans advocate working 70-hour weeks to boost productivity. On the other end, millennials push for a 4-day workweek for a better work-life balance. Lost in this polarised debate is the potential for a middle path – hybrid work arrangements that leverage technology to get the best of both worlds.
The Case for 70-Hour Weeks
First, let’s examine the logic behind 70-hour weeks. Business leaders root this call in India’s productivity gap relative to global averages. With GDP per hour worked at just $4 compared to $40 in the United States, India needs a quantum leap to realise its economic potential. Veteran technocrat N.R. Narayana Murthy controversially called for India’s youth to commit to 70-hour weeks while Vinod Khosla warned about the controversial outcome due to this work-hour approach. The former’s core argument is that longer hours focused on high-value tasks can boost productivity multi-fold. When channeled strategically, such intensive work periods can achieve in months what would otherwise take years.
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There is merit in this intensity argument. Peak productivity flows from periods of deep work without distractions on critical assignments. Working longer can also enable learning more skills, especially early in careers. However, sustainability remains a question mark for 70-hour office weeks. Let’s examine why hybrid may offer the best of all worlds.
Why Hybrid Work is the answer
A 2023 study by Forbes found that 59.5% of managers agreed that working from home increases productivity.
Less commute, more time for work
The dreaded office commute has multiple negative effects. One direct negative effect is the number of hours we lose from our productive day. A 1-hour drive in India is not the same as elsewhere. It comes loaded with stress, anger, and frustration. In many tier 1 cities, a 1-hour drive drains our energy more than 1 hour on the treadmill would. This second effect takes away another 30 minutes for us to unwind, and freshen up before we hit our desks.
If we can take away this commute from most of our work days, we can put that time to amazing use. With hybrid work that choice is available. On the days that we do need a different environment for focussing better, a coworking space within 5 to 10 minutes commute can do the job.
Caching in on our productive times
Each one of us is unique. We are all not at our productive best between 9 AM to 5 PM. Some of us are good in the early morning with nothing or no one around to distract. Some of us get our creative juices flowing in the night. Hybrid work helps us to cache in on this. When you can set your time for work you can decide to do other chores during our non-productive hours of work.
Cut out the office banters
Office is a great place to be. It can be energising. The social interactions give meaning to our professional life. No questions asked. At the same time, the office can be very distracting too. A 2022 study by Stanford University found that employees who worked from home were 13% more productive than those who worked in an office.
Unannounced visitors at your desk, lunchtime gossip, colleagues catching you at the printer and constant banter around your desk can all be quite distracting. Every time you get distracted, you switch and lose more time and hence lose productivity. Meetings can not only drain away time, they can drain away your energy as well.
In a hybrid setup, you cut out all of these distractions. In-person meetings get replaced by asynchronous meetings. You save time and you don’t drain energy.
Better work-life balance
Hybrid work can help us achieve a better work-life balance. It allows us to spend more time with family and friends, and take care of personal errands. A good work-life balance can reduce stress and burnout, which would otherwise hinder productivity.
Happier employees
Hybrid work can lead to increased employee satisfaction. This is because employees who have more flexibility and control over their work schedules are generally happier and more engaged in their jobs. Happier and satisfied employees also bring in their A-game to the team that they are part of.
The hybrid format also enables better work-life balance alongside peak workload periods. By toggling between office and remote work, employees can take mini-breaks to rejuvenate and tend to personal matters as needed without fully discontinuing work. This sustains energy and motivation far better than office-only models, especially for younger demographics.
Implementation Guidelines
To actualise hybrid productivity at scale, companies need to invest in digital infrastructure and change management. Key enablers include:
Communication/collaboration tech stack for seamless remote interactions
Goal-oriented personal productivity metrics over hours clocked
Training managers to lead hybrid teams
Incentives for innovation in hybrid formats
Rotation between focused solo tasks and collaborative work
Preserving office time for brainstorming/socialization
The hybrid structure needs rhythmic alternation between remote deep work and in-office quality collaboration. Well-designed hybrid models can potentially raise productivity to be equivalent to over 70 weekly hours.
The polarised debate between 4-day weeks versus 70-hour slogs misses the nuanced potential of hybrid arrangements. As rockstar psychologist Cal Newport says, “We should focus less on how many hours we’re working and more on whether we’re getting ourcore things done.” Hybrid offers the holy grail of focused intensity alongside work-life harmony – truly getting more done in less time.
The future of work is location-agnostic, digitally powered and personally customized. Hybrid models, not office-onlyPresenteeism, will unleash human potential. Rather than rigid hourly targets, the motto should be “Get more core things done sustainably.” Structured right, hybrid work promises high human productivity alongside higher human happiness.
(The author is co-founder, GoFloaters. Views expressed are the author’s own and not necessarily that of FinancialExpress.com)