Working hours and productivity

Marion Collewet, Jan Sauermann

Research output: Working paper / PreprintWorking paper

848 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

This paper studies the link between working hours and productivity using daily
information on working hours and performance of a sample of call centre agents. We exploit variation in the number of hours worked by the same employee across days and weeks due to central scheduling, enabling us to estimate the effect of working hours on productivity. We find that as the number of hours worked increases, the average handling time for a call increases, meaning that agents become less productive. This result suggests that fatigue can play an important role, even in jobs with mostly part-time workers.
Original languageEnglish
PublisherMaastricht University, Graduate School of Business and Economics
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 10 Apr 2017

Publication series

SeriesGSBE Research Memoranda
Number009

JEL classifications

  • j23 - Labor Demand
  • j22 - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
  • m12 - "Personnel Management; Executive Compensation"
  • m54 - Personnel Economics: Labor Management

Keywords

  • working hours
  • productivity
  • output
  • labour demand

Cite this