Mexico leads the world in the number of hours worked, according to the OECD. However, despite this, productivity is not as high as it could be. With 2,137 hours per year per worker, Mexico almost doubles the number of hours worked in countries like the United States and Canada. Yet, the contribution to GDP per hour worked is very low at only $22.2 compared to countries with fewer working hours like the United States, which averages $77.1. This raises questions about what truly contributes to productivity and whether it is simply about working long hours or if there are other factors at play.
As a journalist, I interviewed Yunue Cárdenas, coordinator of the psychology HUB at Affor Health, who shed light on this issue. According to Cárdenas, having productive employees involves more than just working long hours – it also requires creating a positive work culture and addressing psychosocial risks such as stress and burnout. Additionally, mental health care plays an important role in true productivity.
One growing problem that affects both employees and companies is workplace presenteeism – when an employee shows up to work but their performance is low due to factors like excessive workloads or anxiety. Affor Health points out that presenteeism can impact company productivity and lead to burnout among employees. Therefore, it’s important for companies to reevaluate their processes and understand that true productivity goes beyond responding to emails or messages – it’s closely related to mental health care and organizational climate. Companies should pay attention to psychosocial risks in the workplace and implement actions to support their employees’ mental health in order to improve productivity levels overall.
In conclusion, while Mexico may lead in hours worked per worker according to OECD data, it doesn’t necessarily translate into higher productivity levels due
