It is widely acknowledged that nations whose employees work for longer hours are more economically stable than the countries that do not. While this claim has certain merits, I firmly believe that this idea is invalid since it takes a toll on the workers’ health and lifestyle.
Granted, opponents may argue that excessive working hours will drive the national economic scene. This is because these employees often can generate higher income for themselves and their corporations since they will be working much more compared to other countries which have 9-to-5 working days. These benefits, however, can not compensate for the health issues suffered by laborers as a result of the excessive workload. In particular, many jobs nowadays involve either physical hardwork, like those blue collar jobs in construction sites or factories, and mental labour, commonly referring to white collar workers who deal with organizing and managing tasks daily. Thus, longer shifts can significantly strain their minds and bodies, resulting in numerous associated health risks in the long term like mental trauma and musculoskeletal diseases. For example, many conducted surveys suggest that the majority of blue collar workers who work for more than 8 hours a day suffer from arthritis and chronic joint pain after their retirement.
Another reason why we should not promote long working hours is that it creates an imbalance in employees’ lives. More precisely, working extra hours can take up valuable time that people dedicated to self-growth. Most of the workers spend their little free time after work to take care of themselves and their families, ensuring work-life balance. So by forcing them to work overtime, employees may be stripped of the opportunities for self development and for their loved ones, which can lead to broken relationships particularly with those who have young children or elders waiting to be taken care of. Furthermore, putting in extra hours may be detrimental as it can discourage people from working entirely. Having not enough time for entertainment and privacy, workers often perceive this act as abusing and exploiting. Therefore, it can foster a sense of hatred towards the companies in charge and in the worst case scenario, become the breeding ground for social turmoil. Taken together, these factors suggest that working overtime is harmful for the growth of workers.
In conclusion, although the financial benefit of longer average working hours is undeniable, I’m fully convinced that this is a negative development because the harm that it caused to the employees is not worth the effort.