Does Working Late Make You Productive? The SCSK Story
Does working late make you productive? No. A Japanese IT firm cut overtime from 28 to 18 hours a month and profit still rose. Here is what I took from it.
No, working late does not make you productive. Sitting at a desk until 10 PM measures presence, not output. SCSK, a Japanese IT company, cut overtime and profit still grew. McKinsey found Indian managers spend 21 hours a week in meetings, so time is already crowded.
TL;DR- Long hours show presence, not results. Most offices reward the person who leaves last.
- SCSK set an average overtime target below 20 hours a month and asked staff to take all 20 paid leaves.
- Overtime fell from 28 to 18 hours a month while profit kept growing, as per the video I made on it.
- The savings came back to employees as a June bonus, which removed the fear of losing income.
- Reward finished work, not seat time, and people finish work.
Does working late actually make you more productive?
Not by itself. I have seen it in many offices: the work is done, yet people stay because the boss has not left. The one seen at 10 PM gets called hardworking. Late hours can help in a real crunch, but as a habit they show who is present, not who delivered. If you want to fix the culture side, this is the kind of shift I cover in my motivational speaking sessions for teams.
What did SCSK change, and what happened?
SCSK is a Japanese IT company. In 2013 it set a target of average overtime below 20 hours a month and asked every employee to take all 20 paid leaves. The company said the money saved would not go to profit. It would return to staff as a bonus the next June. Overtime reportedly fell from 28 hours to 18 hours a month, and profit kept rising every year.
| Measure | Rewarding presence | Rewarding outcomes |
|---|---|---|
| What the boss notices | Who leaves last | Who finishes and hands over well |
| Staff behaviour | Stay back even when work is done | Finish work, then leave or help |
| Employee fear | Losing overtime income | Savings return as a bonus (SCSK model) |
| SCSK monthly overtime | 28 hours average | 18 hours average, profit still rising |
Why do employees fear overtime cuts?
The fear was real. An engineer from a Japanese IT firm said he fell asleep on a bench while Sunday shopping, and even at his child's sports day. Still, when the company asked to cut overtime, employees were the ones who got scared. Overtime pay was part of salary. They asked how they would pay the home loan. Any Indian HR head will recognise this fear, because EMIs depend on a fixed monthly income.
What is the presence trap in Indian offices?
I call it the presence trap. When you reward sitting, people sit. Managers in India often judge commitment by who is visible late, and staff copy that signal. The cost is paid by families and by health, not only by the company. Read how the same idea worked at another firm in Does Working Less Increase Productivity? The Microsoft Japan Lesson.
How can a manager reward outcomes instead of hours?
SCSK answered the fear with a simple deal: what overtime saves comes back as a bonus. In my video I said it plainly: "बैठने को रिवॉर्ड करोगे लोग बैठे रहेंगे, काम खत्म करने को रिवॉर्ड करोगे लोग काम खत्म करेंगे" (reward sitting and people will sit, reward finished work and people will finish). Define what done means for each role, review it weekly, and praise the person who finishes early and helps others.
What should HR and business owners do first?
Start small. Ask your team what tasks are really pending after 6 PM, and how many are just waiting for the boss. Then pick one clear output per role and link a visible reward to it. I run this kind of thinking in corporate trainings for leaders and HR teams, and you can ask for a plan for your team on the contact page. I will not promise SCSK numbers for your company, but the direction works.
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Avinash Chate TEDx Speaker · Founder, The Future Corporate · 11+ yrs experience Avinash has trained Indian Army, BRO, RBI, BARC, JSW Steel and 1000+ corporate leaders across India. His work focuses on leadership development, communication skills, and behavioural training rooted in Indian values and modern business needs. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Does working late make you productive?
Rarely. Long hours show presence, not output. Once the day's work is done, extra hours mostly reward being seen. A short crunch is fine, but a daily habit of sitting late usually hides poor planning.
What is the SCSK overtime story?
SCSK is a Japanese IT company that in 2013 targeted average overtime below 20 hours a month and full use of 20 paid leaves. Overtime reportedly dropped from 28 to 18 hours a month while profit kept growing.
What is the presence trap?
It is when an office rewards time spent at the desk rather than work finished. People then stay late to look committed, and the family and health cost is paid by the employee.
How can a company reduce overtime without hurting salaries?
Do what SCSK did in spirit: return the money saved on overtime to employees as a bonus. That answers the fear about home loans and shows that finishing work pays better than sitting.
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