Is working long hours equal super performance?

Enter one of the departments in a giant corporation like IBM, HP or Intel at 8pm on a working day and throw a stone randomly. There's a chance the stone hit a high-performing staff in the department.

But does working long hours equate to super performance?

Research suggested that most of the high-performing employees in best companies are those who finish their job much later than other employees. IBM, HP, Intel and FedEx are few examples of best companies to work for. However, on the other hand, to say that one who finishes his or her job late is a high-performing is a total urban legend.

When you work with big, private corporations, the stake is high among the employees to exhibit their capabilities and compete among others. This is because big corporations have the capability to attract the "cream of the industry's crops" to join their organization and help them growing the company. As a result, the inner working world in the organization become the combat zone for the staff to outdo each other.

The one showing the best results will become the hero.

Though this situation does not look healthy, but the one who gain the most out of this competition is the organization that employs this people itself. As the staff performance is appraised on results, it is easy for them to duly compensate those high-performer by measuring the sales achievements, reports completed, turnover rate, collection speed and so on.

This, in turn, will make other employees work harder.

As for you, there's always a choice for you to go. You should bear in mind that if you work too hard and ignore your social and physical well-being, you will later put yourself in a great adversity.

Don't only work hard. Work smart too.