Relaxation/Vacation

Canadian financial managers working longer hours

Take a break: It's good for the bottom line

As you read this, you're slowly coming to the realization that the summer is, for all intents and purposes, behind us -- along with the traditional Canadian vacation season.

P.J. HARSTON
[ 2007-09-07 ]

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Well, that's it.

As you read this, you're slowly coming to the realization that the summer is, for all intents and purposes, behind us -- along with the traditional Canadian vacation season.

The kids are back to school and it feels like everything at work and home is ramping up for that thunderous dash towards Thanksgiving and then on to the magic of the holiday season.

Before we get to that, let's take a look back over the last two months or so.


Did you take a vacation? Did you think about work while on vacation? Did you at least stay away from anything to do with the job?

If you work in the finance industry, the answer is probably not -- and that's just not healthy.

A new study from Robert Half International shows that Canadian financial professionals may not work as many hours at the office as their global counterparts, but more than a third take work home with them and take it on vacation.

Among the findings:

- Forty-seven per cent of Canadian finance managers surveyed said their hours have increased over the last two years. Among those, close to two-thirds said they now work an additional five to 15 hours a week.

Canadian respondents cited working an average of 42.5 hours per week, more than the 40.9 hours reported in the United States, but below the average 43.2 hours worked in Australia, 43.8 hours in Italy and 47.1 hours in Japan.

- Forty-four per cent of Canadian finance professionals said they take work calls or check e-mail in the evening at home. The results were 10 percentage points higher than the global average, double the result in Germany, and were second only to Netherlands (46%).

- Only 29% of Canadian practitioners said they never work weekends, versus 65% in Spain and 55% in France. One-quarter of Canadian finance professionals say they work three or more weekends each month.

- Nearly four out of 10 (38%) of Canadian respondents said they sometimes or always take their laptops or PDAs with them on vacation, as compared to 16% in Ireland, a country near the top of the list in hours worked.

The problem with working so much -- and taking work on vacation and home with you -- is bigger than just making Jack and Jill dull boys and girls.

In fact, it's become such a recognized problem in Canada that even the federal government has weighed in on the subject on its Human Resources and Social Development Canada website (www.hrsdc.gc.ca).

"People have family, personal responsibilities and needs outside of work, whether it is the caring of children and/or elderly parents, or the pursuit of personal interests, activities or hobbies," the website states.

"By implementing proactive programs and initiatives that support employees, organizations can strengthen employee commitment and loyalty, resulting in higher productivity, improved customer satisfaction and healthier bottom lines."

Yes, there's that magic phrase -- it goes right to your bottom line. And that goes to both the employee and the employer.

We need our breaks, we need our downtime and we need our time away from work in order to have a more balanced life, which results in better health and better productivity while we are at work.

FRESH IDEAS


Which brings me back to that often stress-fraught period that is the final fiscal quarter for many companies that includes Thanksgiving and the holiday season, and ends with New Years and year-end financial reporting.

You want to have a better bottom line at the end of 2007? You want to love your work even more going into 2008?

Take a break -- a real break. Enjoy your weekends and holidays and come back to work with fresh ideas, a clear mind and a heck of a lot less stress.

As Nelson Mandela said: "There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered."



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