Working long hours is quite common for employees in Hong Kong, but does it really benefit employers and corporations? Do employers know that some employees would consider leaving their current jobs for better work-life balance elsewhere?
All Work and No Play
In the latest survey conducted by Community Business, a non-profit organization specializing in corporate social responsibility in Hong Kong, it is found that employees in Hong Kong work an average of 48.4 hours per week, 21% more than the International Labour Organization's recommendation of working no more than 40 hours a week with occasional paid overtime. More than 70% of the 1,013 full-time workers interviewed said they spend less than two hours per day on personal activities in 2009. The survey shows that hotel and catering industry is recorded to have the longest working hours (56.4 hours) every week, followed by property (52.2 hours) and other personal services (51.8%).
An Urgent Need for Work-life Balance
The survey shows that work-life balance remains a priority for employees despite the current economic climate. More than two-thirds (67.7%) of the respondents commented that it is important for employers to address work-life balance during the current economic situation. Thirty percent of employees revealed that they would consider leaving the current jobs for better work-life balance elsewhere, and among them, nearly half (47.8%) are aged 29 or below.
Managing Director of Community Business, Shaun Bernier, commented, "The survey tells us that work-life balance is still important to employees and if you don't focus the wellbeing of your staff, they may well leave in search of better options elsewhere. The fact that job seekers consider to leave is a sign that they are experiencing difficulty in balancing work and life."
The survey, conducted by Public Opinion Programme (POP) of the University of Hong Kong in July 2009, finds that the preferred work-life balance ratio of employees is 62:38, and the actual work-life balance ratio is 83:17. Dr Robert Chung, Director of POP, commented that the gap indicates that there is still room for improvement.
Poor work-life balance will have negative impact on health of employees, thereby affecting productivity of corporations. The survey shows that more than three quarters of employees (76.1%) have encountered problems due to poor work-life balance. More than half (53.4%) suffer from prolonged fatigue, sleepiness and extreme tiredness, 40.8% do not have any time for their family, and 31% suffer from insomnia and poor diet because of work pressure.
A Gap between Employers & Employees
Although many employees consider work-life balance an essential element in their career, not every employer thinks in the same way. Some may think that staff are lazy and want to work less. Bernier commented, "Work-life balance is quite often misunderstood in Hong Kong. Employers should pay attention to these problems resulting from poor work-life balance." She added that these problems will affect the quality of work and productivity of employees, and in turn will have an impact on the business of the company. Not achieving a balance in life and work may also result in high absenteeism rates. Bernier said it is high time employers addressed the problems.
Creative Work-life Balance Initiatives
In the survey, most employees (26.9%) believe that a five-day work week can help them achieve a better work-life balance, followed by more paid annual leave (18.8%), flexible working time (10.8%) and the option to work from home (9.4%). Some small companies may think that they do not have much resources to implement work-life balance policies. But Bernier said that small companies indeed have advantages as they are more flexible in implementing such policies, and there are creative and non-costly ways to help staff maintain work-life balance, for example duvet days and exercise programmes.
The following are some successful examples of work-life balance policies implemented by companies in Hong Kong:
| Company | Size (No of Staff) | Nature of Business | Work-life Balance Initiatives |
| Standard Chartered | 5,000 | Retail bank | Project 1900 – encourages staff to leave the office by 7pm |
| Marks & Spencer | 600 | Retail | 5-Day working week |
| Fleishman-Hillard | 28 | Communication consultancy | Sabbatical programme – a 6-week leave for staff having worked at the firm for at least 4 years% |
| Text 100 | 10 | Public relations | Duvet days – 2 occasional rest days per year |
| CLP | 3,900 | Electricity | Workplace stretching exercise programme – 10-15 minutes of stretching exercises daily at office |
| BP | 120 | Energy | Flexible work arrangement – work from home, flexible working hours, and part-time work on request |
To encourage companies to address the importance of work-life balance, Community Business has organized the Work-life Balance Day since 2008. More than 120 companies from all industries, including SMEs and MNCs, participated last year. On this day, companies identified initiatives to promote work-life balance of staff, such as encouraging employees to leave on time, and providing healthy snacks or fresh fruits in the pantry.
Source: JobsDB HK
2nd & 3rd pictures supplied by: CLP
Updated: 2 November 2009