Is Hong Kong’s competitive work culture fuelling overtime norms?
Doctor warns that workers should know when and where to draw the line before they succumb to career burnout
The revelation last October that a 31-year-old reporter from public broadcaster NHK had died from overwork sent shock waves through Japan.
Miwa Sado had logged 159 hours of overtime with only two days of rest in a month, leading to her death from heart failure back in 2013.
In Hong Kong, the Standard Working Hours Committee, established in 2013, has been in talks with employers and labour unions to reach a consensus on the amount of time workers should dedicate to their jobs.
Deep-set cultural norms, however, seem to impede progress on any agreement.
When colleagues become fierce competitors and working after office hours becomes something that is expected, it is time to slow down, according to a family doctor.
“We need to know there is an issue. It’s not something that you can overcome just by willpower. We can’t say just because this person has symptoms of burnout, then he or she is not suitable for the position.