Next to ants, who spend their entire lives toiling for their colonies by carrying food up to 50 times their body weight, Hongkongers are probably the most hard-working creatures, logging long hours under mounting stress. The situation has got even worse since the global financial crisis hit the local economy.
According to Professor Stephen Frost, executive director of CSR Asia, a corporate social responsibility consultancy, working hours for Hong Kong employees have noticeably increased in sectors such as manufacturing, training, small businesses, and industries most troubled by the financial crisis, such as banking and finance.
He admitted that Hong Kong employees in general were working under increasing stress with extra workloads as a result of company downsizing.
'Employees across Asia in general are more willing to work longer hours without compensation. In the current economic climate, employees who have managed to keep their jobs as survivors after their companies' retrenchment exercises are forced to take on additional responsibilities and work longer hours without compensation,' Frost said.
This is ominous considering that job satisfaction levels among Hong Kong employees rank among the lowest in the world, whether in good times or bad, according to Frost.
Supporting this was a survey conducted in June by the Continuing Professional Development Alliance (CPDA) which tracks Hong Kong professionals' work attitudes and wellness status under the present economic environment. It found that Hongkongers in professions, such as legal and human resources, and purchasing and supply tended to work longer official hours than in other industries and professions. People working in banking and education were also more prone to a long-hour culture.
