Time to regulate working hours

Hong Kong has longer working hours than many comparable cities. Workers on average clocked 42 hours a week in 2018. Overtime work is still very common.

Death caused by overtime work is much discussed in other countries; in Japan, where it is known as karoshi, it makes headlines. However, this is not the case in Hong Kong.

Therefore, public awareness of the downsides of overtime work is very low.

Yet long working hours affect many areas of life, particularly our health. Not only do long working hours deprive employees of sufficient time with their families and to spend on leisure, they may also cut into the necessary hours of sleep.

A global study by the World Health

Organization found 745,000 people died in 2016 from overwork that resulted in stroke and heart disease.

It is time the Hong Kong government limited overtime working hours. Currently, there is no law defining standard working hours for adults or specifying the pay for overtime work.

The maximum working hours for an employee should be no longer than 65 hours per week, including overtime work and lunch.

The government should also clearly define overtime work as the time spent working that exceeds hours specified in the contract.

In addition, the government should define death caused by overtime work and hold employers accountable through legislation.

The workload assigned should not be higher than what an employee can reasonably finish during working hours.

Given that employee efficiency varies,

flexible working hours and salaries may allow employees to choose how much they want to get done.

A government channel should be set up to allow whistle-blowers to report companies that do not allow flexible working hours.

In addition, companies or the Hong Kong government should allocate funds to enable employees to go for health checks.

Law Tsz-yi, Pok Fu Lam