How long can scientists argue about working hours?

If you’re looking for trouble, ask a bunch of academics how many hours they should work. The arguments, which have been raging for years, were reignited in February 2018 when psychologist Jay Van Bavel of New York University tweeted that ‘the average professor works over 60 hours a week’.

He wasn’t making a recommendation. Van Bavel was merely quoting the findings of a preliminary study by anthropologist John Ziker of Boise State University in Idaho, which asked 30 tenure-track and tenured academics to record all they did 24 hours a day for several days. The working week of the participants averaged 61 hours, and a relatively high proportion of that time was spent on administrative duties: 17% on meetings, 13% on answering emails.