The Work-Life Balancing Act: Executives Vs Increased Hours
Ah, the glamorous life of an executive! You know, the one where you start your week drowning under a deluge of unanswered emails from the weekend, only to arrive at Friday feeling just as breathless. Sounds riveting, doesn’t it? The former Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, clearly thinks so, as he champions the grand idea of breaking the 35-hour workweek barrier all in the name of boosting state revenue. Because nothing says fantastic governance quite like squeezing more hours out of an already beleaguered workforce, right? If he had any more work-related enthusiasm, we might need to check if he’s secretly auditioning for a role in the latest ‘Office Space’ reboot.
Are We Working Harder or Just Harder to Find Balance?
Now, here’s a little nugget of wisdom from Caroline Blanchot, the general secretary of Ugict-CGT – yes, that’s a lovely abbreviation for a group that just screams “we need relaxation days.” According to her, executives are knee-deep in a workload that makes Mount Everest look like a molehill. And surprise, surprise, they’re struggling to keep their heads above water. Apparently, a staggering 30% of these high-flyers estimate they’re clocking in less than 40 hours a week. That’s the same percentage of people who think they can find Atlantis while swimming in their own indecision!
The Great Email Dilemma
Lest we forget the most pressing issue, emails. Yes, the bane of our digital existence. Blanchot highlights how many executives start their week already drowning in a sea of electronic correspondence — emails that have mysteriously arrived over the weekend. What’s next? A governmental task force to investigate the phenomenon of “the lost email”? Oh wait, 21% of surveyed executives are working 45 to 48 hours a week, while a further 12% emerge from work at a staggering 49 hours or more! Clearly, we’ve decided to reapply the 80s philosophy of “Just Do It,” but for our work-life balance.
The Teleworking Trap
Interestingly, even with the advent of telecommuting—a dreamy setup touted by many as the savior of work-life balance—61% of executives feel they’re still trapped under excessive working hours. The irony! We thought working from home meant working *from a couch*, perhaps with a cat strategically placed near the laptop for emotional support. But alas, the struggle is real, compelling two-thirds of respondents to demand a right to disconnect. A noble sentiment, if only it didn’t read a bit like asking for a unicorn in an age of WiFi.
Balancing Act or Just a Balancing Attempt?
And in a delightful twist, executives have suddenly discovered a thing called “balance.” Yes, 73% are prioritizing their personal lives over work in 2024! That’s up from 68% in 2016, proving that when the universe tosses you the odd pandemic, a person’s priorities shift—who knew? Meanwhile, a good 52% of these executives believe their salaries have failed to keep up with their Herculean efforts. Compensation that resembles a high school allowance when you’re pulling in near-40-hour shifts? Excellent motivator. Truly inspiring!
In Conclusion: The Work-Life Quandary
So, the question remains: is the idea of extending working hours simply a lackluster response to what looks like an industrious revolt brewing under our noses? Clearly, executives are not looking to add hours but rather to reclaim their lives from their email inboxes and daunting workloads. Maybe the government should focus more on creating a ‘weekend-dealer’ who could trade an email for an hour of Netflix—balance restored! Or maybe, just maybe, we need to revolutionize work culture instead of resorting to age-old measures that simply weigh us down. If anything teaches us about work hours, it’s the fact that we’re all just a few emails away from a collective neurosis. The next time someone asks you to “put in a few extra hours,” remember: even Narcos had to learn to take breaks!
While the former Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin pleaded last week for an increase in working hours, beyond 35 hours, in order to increase state revenue, the study shows that executives “already have a heavy workload” and “are unable to cope with it”, reports Caroline Blanchot, general secretary of Ugict-CGT – which represents engineers, executives and technicians, to AFP. .
“Executives start their week already late in emails, arriving on the weekend but also those that they did not have time to process the previous week,” she continues.
Overall, 30% of the executives surveyed estimate their working time per week at less than 40 hours, 38% between 40 and 44 hours, 21% between 45 and 48 hours, and 12% at 49 hours or more, details the survey.
And there are still 48% in 2024 who sometimes work on their days off, compared to 56% in 2015.
Right to disconnect
Teleworking does not protect them from “excessive working hours”, according to 61% of respondents. Two thirds of them demand an effective right to disconnect (compared to 56% in 2016).
Increasingly, executives’ priorities are the balance between their private and professional lives (73% versus 68% in 2016), salary (63% versus 52%), and the content and meaning of their work (53%). ), before career (15%).
A majority (52%) considers their remuneration to be inadequate with their actual working time, compared to 46% who find it adequate. Opinions are divided regarding the workload and their involvement.
