Deal with office overload
By LIU JIE (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-07-31 14:08 The long working hours will greatly reduce working efficiency and
productivity, both Chen and Zhang believe.
In addition to physical exertion, psychological tension is another result of
an overworked employee, points out Xu Xinxin, a researcher with the Sociology
Research Institute attached to the Chinese Academy of Social
Sciences.
Internal competition for promotions, problems between
colleagues, and work and life imbalances all contribute to psychological
tension, which may result in accident or collapse, says Xu.
"High-pressure work environments are taking their toll on workers' morale,"
says Gary Lazzarotto, CEO of Hudson Asia. "This can be detrimental to both
workers, whose health and career progress may suffer, and employers, who pick up
the tab in higher insurance costs and lost productivity."
Solutions
Dealing with the modern world "epidemic" of job burnout is a new challenge
for both employers and employees.
In developed nations, entrepreneurs commonly push a policy known as Work-Life
Balance (WLB) to help employees work productively and better enjoy their lives.
Overtime is not encouraged.
"If an employer finds an employee often works longer, the employer should ask
if the executive-designed workload is too heavy for the employee or if there are
some problems with the employee's working efficiency," says Xu. "Then the
employer or the employee should adjust."
The WLB policies also include flexible working time, if the job allows.
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