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Time‐Inseparable Labor Productivity and the Workweek

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  • Maya Eden

Abstract

A centuries‐old tradition, the week constitutes a coordination device that allows for temporal agglomeration in both production and leisure. But does it induce coordination on the optimal workweek? Central to this question is the nature of time‐inseparability in labor productivity. Productivity is increasing in restfulness, which diminishes with work time, and in skill, which improves with work time. I show that, because skill accumulates and depreciates slowly, there are productivity gains from coordinating on a workweek with fewer but more frequent vacation days.

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  • Maya Eden, 2021. "Time‐Inseparable Labor Productivity and the Workweek," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 123(3), pages 940-965, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:scandj:v:123:y:2021:i:3:p:940-965
    DOI: 10.1111/sjoe.12429
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    3. Bastian Kordyaka & Mario Lackner & Hendrik Sonnabend, 2022. "Can too many cooks spoil the broth? Coordination costs, fatigue, and performance in high‐intensity tasks," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 88(3), pages 1065-1085, January.

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