According to a recent survey launched by Community Business more than half of Hong Kong employees have felt overloaded at work in the past 12 months.
Respondents site employers’ desire for profit maximisation, with little concern for resultant workloads, and insufficient resources as the primary reasons for their unease. It is no surprise that this is having adverse effects on productivity. Nearly a third of the respondents felt they were less efficient during the day due to the long hours worked. That same number admitted to spending time on social networking sites or other similar sites to relieve associated stress.
More than 40% of respondents professed to have made mistakes they could have avoided if it were not for work overload, and just short of this amount took sick leave due to excessive tiredness.
All such claims provide more than sufficient evidence for events like Community Business’ Work-Life Balance Week, which took place in late October. 178 Hong Kong businesses pledged their commitment to recognising the need to re-balance the scales. Robin Bishop, Chief Operating Officer of Community Business expressed, “Our concern is not only for the 50% plus of this working population which currently feels stressed…but also for businesses. Those companies who fail to recognise the impact that poor work-life balance is having on them in terms of turnover and productivity issues are at serious risk to their bottom line.”
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
