Dear Editor
I am writing to express my opinion about the poor work-life balance in Hong Kong and also give suggestions about what people should do to improve their work-life balance.
Hong Kong is a magnet for workaholics. The average weekly working hours of Hong Kong people is 48.4, which far exceeds the suggested 40 hours of the International Labour Organization. Undoubtedly, Hong Kong people are overworked. Most people cannot stick to the eight-hour working day. It is not difficult or surprising to see that the lights are still on in offices in Central at 9 o’clock at night.
Hong Kong people like to use marathon working hours to show their loyalty to their company and willingness to sacrifice their leisure and sleeping time for their job. Moreover, in this competitive international finance hub, people often need to work harder and longer to retain their positions in the companies and get promoted. It is obvious that Hong Kong citizens are overworked. We can often see many panda-eyed and fatigue white collars queuing up in the MTR stations after 10 p.m.
In Hong Kong, ‘OT’ becomes a popular culture in every industry.
Overwork also leads to a poor quality of life. A great number of white collars need to be back to their offices on Saturday or Sunday to clear their work and tasks. Their lives are just filled with work, and work, and also work. The long working hours deprive those workaholics of family life. When they are back home, most of their family members have slept already, or they no longer have energy to watch television, and chat with their kids and partners.
Lack of leisure time with friends and exercise caused by long working hours is strong evidence for Hong Kong people’s poor quality of life. The huge pressure and unhappiness brought by poor work-life balance can shorten people’s longevity.
Hong Kong people should do something to improve their work-life balance.
First, Hong Kong people need to work less and work smarter. They should work more efficiently. What they need is not work for a long time to show that they have a high output. This distorted concept needs to be changed among all industries in Hong Kong. Cost-effectiveness is very vital for this competitive society.
Second, Hong Kong people should not regard their work as their only target in their lives. Apart from work, family life and leisure time are also important. However busy they are, they need to squeeze some tome out for their families. This can relieve their stress from their work, and give them a shot in the arms. Working efficiency can be boosted as a result.
Long hours at the office are indeed productivity and efficiency killers. An ordinary man needs to get enough sleep and leisure time to continue his life, and so do Hong Kong people. Working productively instead of staying all day in the office is the key to leading an ideal work-life balance.
Yours faithfully,
Chris Wong
Chris Wong