'60 is the New 40' in the Workplace

One of my friends recently threw me a surprise 60th birthday at Mittie’s Tea Room Café in Roswell. As I celebrated, I said, “I hear 60 is the new 40,” and my daughter who just turned 30, responded, “Well if 60 is the new 40, then 30 is the new 15.”

The 60-40 rule also applies to hours in the workplace. I was recently talking to an acquaintance who lamented that he had to work 60 hours-a-week and he was looking for another job. That’s another case of 60 being the new 40.

Apparently, the 40-hour workweek has gone the way of the dinosaur.

Working more than 40 hours a week is the norm and it's what's expected. Almost everyone I know is working 60 to 80 hours-a-week, even more. I think it’s due to downsizing and the fact that companies are not electing to replace workers who were let go. Corporations are “spreading the wealth” in terms of "awarding" the job functions and responsibilities to the people who are left. Some employees are doing the jobs of two or three people. And they're doing it well, so companies continue to pile on the work. This has been going on for years now. But it’s beginning to take a toll in terms of workplace morale. The workplace is more productive but how long can that last before quality deteriorates and workers begin to desert in droves? 

What is the alternative?

In these days of record unemployment, it’s wise to keep the job you have, even if it's not your dream job. It’s easier to get a new job if you already have a job. I know of friends whose college-educated kids are living at home because they can’t find employment or are underemployed. That seems to be the trend. A lot of people elect to go back to school to study a profession that they might enjoy more than their current job or because they can’t get a job. But will the jobs be waiting when they graduate, again?

The younger generation feels that they deserve happiness and they have the guts to do something about it. In the old days, my father’s advice was “stay on the payroll.” That stemmed from living through the Great Depression. That was when corporations were more benevolent and treated employees like families, which engendered loyalty.    

Are you working more than 40 hours-a-week? Do you know any people who are unhappy in their jobs but can’t afford to do anything about it because of the economy? Or people who are unhappy in their jobs and they’ve quit because they aren’t going to take it anymore?