BIZCHINA / Biz Life

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.
Page: 1234

(For more biz stories, please visit Industry Updates)