Working Less Is the Key to Greater Scientific Productivity

Working Less Is the Key to Greater Scientific Productivity

By Robert A. Fenton, PhD

During my PhD studies, I was officially employed as a research technician, supposedly working a 37-hour week. However, I realized I was working a lot more when I was told I had, in principle, accumulated a further eight weeks’ vacation in my first year as official “time in lieu.” 

This process repeated year after year until I graduated, but I presumed this was commonplace among PhD students. During my postdoctoral years, I noticed a similar working trend. I would be at work before 8 a.m. and leave after 6 p.m. and frequently worked whole weekends. Now, to clarify, I was not forced to do this; I enjoyed seeing the benefits of my hard work. It appeared to be the same for my peers. Were we trying to demonstrate our dedication to research by working long hours? Was this required to be successful?  

In July 2005, I relocated to Denmark. In hindsight, this was not the best time of the year to move to Denmark and try to secure the necessary permits and health insurance card. Administrative offices that deal with these issues were closed. Why? Because business largely shuts down at this time of year, as people take time off to enjoy the summer.

In Denmark, all full-time employees are legally entitled to five weeks of paid vacation per year, and academics are granted one extra week. Then there are the 10 public holidays, which, in principle, results in approximately 40 days of vacation per year. Employees—even those in academia and research—are not shy about using every hour of it.

By mid-August 2005, I presumed things would return to normal, as academic staff would be back refreshed from their vacations. I presumed they would be ready to put in the long working hours required to help Denmark retain its ranking as one of the top countries for scientific impact. But at 4 p.m. most offices and labs were virtually empty. Had I missed an important seminar or meeting? No. Most of my new colleagues had left work to collect children from day care, begin preparing the family dinner, go to the gym, meet friends or set off on a long cycle home. They were not afraid to walk away when they had accomplished what they had set out to achieve that day.  

It took time to adjust to this way of working, but now I appreciate the importance of a good work-life balance. I realized that working fewer hours, but in a different way, could make me more efficient.

My academic life in Denmark has certainly been highly productive and rewarding. For example, instead of spending hours mid-afternoon staring at a screen, writing and rewriting a paper, I go home, jump on my road bike, and head off into the countryside. My brain resets. Upon returning home, the words fall into place rapidly and effectively. And I rarely work on weekends. I write most of my funded research grants in the weeks after summer vacation while sitting in my garden. I edit my research group’s papers using my phone while walking to or from work. I have a lot of international collaborators, so I often take online meetings away from my desk—sometimes from the sideline of my daughter’s soccer match or gymnastics class.

At my career stage, I don’t have to justify my whereabouts to those around me. Even so, I believe encouraging similar work-lifestyle changes could benefit researchers at all levels, increase their productivity and aid them in their career path. Food for thought? 

Robert A. Fenton, PhD, is a professor of cell biology at Aarhus University in Denmark. Something on your mind? Send your column ideas, questions or comments to tphysmag@phsyiology.org. This article was originally published in the March 2024 issue of The Physiologist Magazine. Copyright © 2024 by the American Physiological Society.