Now, as the tables have turned in the job market, we are hearing things which would have seemed impossible just six months ago. A human resources executive told Baat Gwaa the other day that, with a more candidate-driven market, attitudes towards overtime work have changed dramatically. As a general rule, staff would normally stay behind and work longer hours to finish their daily work or wrap up projects, without any expectation to be compensated. The overtime concept is a rather common practice in Hong Kong. With a much better economy and a robust job market, there is no such thing as overtime without pay anymore, laments the HR executive. 'When the economy was going through a rough period, everyone was willing to put in the extra hours. Now, with recruitment activity returning to pre-crisis levels, and that we continue to experience candidate shortages, human capital has become the most scarce economic resource.' Baat Gwaa thinks bosses can still strategically motivate staff to work overtime, and that the best approach is to show your own willingness to go the extra mile. But the problem is you may end up being the only one working late.
