I could not agree more with the letter.[ As below]
WHEN I was in college, I used to see people crowding at the bus stop at 5.30pm. So I was under the impression that most people finished work between 5pm and 6.30pm.
Now that I'm an employee in a multinational company, I realise I am wrong. Attached to the Human Resource Department, I have worked past normal working hours, and have returned home between 10pm and 1am.
According to the Mindquest Group coach and counsellor, the long hours in Asia has something to do with the culture and there is an unwritten rule that you can't leave the office until your boss has left.
We often hear neighbours, relatives, friends or family members complaining about their long working hours.
Since the beginning of the millennium, we have struggled for work life balance. Meetings are organised after office hours and even lunch hours are being snatched away from employees.
Time spent with family has dramatically reduced, we lose sight of them and look past our greatest treasure. More married couples opt for dinner takeaways from fast-food restaurants.
In an attempt to grab opportunities, secure challenging possibilities and attain career success, we've neglected our family, the value of love and ignored our health.
Watching my husband reply to every email, every night has moved me to write this. He keeps typing until 3am while replying to his WhatsApp messages on his handphone.
He has been sleeping less than seven hours every day and the siege on his sleep pattern has debilitated him completely. He calls himself a juggler, juggling career, family and freedom.
His experience has taught me to be a better leader. I pledge to never hold back my employees for late- night work. I let them spend their precious time with their loved ones after office hours.
I do not want to imply that unfinished work should be carried out the next day, but pushing too much will lead to slackness and reduced productivity.
As working hours can greatly affect work life balance, employers in every organisation should limit working hours to 48 hours per week with one day declared as a day off.
My former boss used make it a point to chase us away from the office between 5.30pm and 6pm, reminding us that we should leave for home soon.
Employers should track the time taken to complete a specific task and ensure departments are adequately staffed to prevent employees from overworking.
Flexible hours and telecommuting can be extremely valuable to employees with young children.
"People who violate your boundaries are thieves. They steal time that doesn't belong to them." -- Elizabeth Grace Saunders
[Source] - See more at: http://www.nst.com.my/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/work-culture-don-t-force-employees-towork-very-long-hours-1.556821#sthash.MaqF0kjI.JAanGjfk.dpuf
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