Working 61 Plus Hours a Week Why Do Managers Do It?

• Published in: Journal of applied psychology Vol. 88; no. 1; pp. 67 - 78
• Main Authors: Brett, Jeanne M, Stroh, Linda K
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Psychological Association 01-02-2003
• Subjects: Administrative Personnel - psychology; Adult; Applied psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Contagion; Decision Making; Emotions; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hours of work; Human; Humans; Hypotheses; International Labour Organization; Leadership; Leisure; Leisure Time; Male; Management Personnel; Managers; Motivation; Occupational psychology; Overwork; Personnel Management; Personnel Staffing and Scheduling; Psychological aspects; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Recreation; Rewards; Social Behavior; Social theories; Statistical analysis; Studies; Theories; Trade-off; U.S.A; Women workers; Work condition. Job performance. Stress; Work Load; Workload; Workweeks; United States > US; Human; Work period; Motivation; Manager
• ISSN: 0021-9010; 1939-1854
• DOI: 10.1037/0021-9010.88.1.67

The authors investigated why some managers work extreme hours, defined as 61 or more hours per week. The authors tested explanations drawn from theories including the work-leisure tradeoff, work as an emotional respite, social contagion, and work as its own reward. In a demographically homogeneous sample of male managers, the best explanations for why some worked 61 or more hours per week were the financial and psychological rewards they received from doing so. The hypothesis derived from
A. Hochschild's (1997)
research that managers who work long hours seek relief at work from pressures at home was not supported. Findings in a small sample of managerial women were consistent with the work-leisure trade-off hypothesis, the social contagion hypothesis, and the work as its own reward hypothesis.