I would like to call on the authorities to consider making five-day work week a nationwide policy. At present, only a handful of companies in the private sector grant their employees a five-day work week, with the rest either asking for half-day or full-day work on Saturday.
As a mother with a full-time job, I find it particularly difficult to get the work-life balance right. This is especially true because the company I work for also expects me to keep my phone close by, in case there are matters to attend to after office hours.
I would love to be able to spend more time with family, helping the children with their homework and bonding with them over fun activities. While I am able to do so every Sunday, it often feels like I’m going through the motion of leading what I believe to be a normal life, with a part of me still struggling to recover from the stress accumulated over six days of work.
Perhaps what we need is a whole-of-nation effort to protect the well-being of the workforce. Public servants and those working for government-linked companies are guaranteed a five-day work week; for the rest of us employed in the private sector, it is a toss-up regarding the work schedule.
I have known a few companies that not only grant their employees a two-day weekend, they also make sure working after office hours is actively discouraged. But these companies are few and far between. Given that their employees tend to have higher work satisfaction, the turnover isn’t high and getting into these companies can get rather competitive.
With the nature of work growing more hectic each year, due to technological advancement, the burnout rate is also higher, especially among those of us who work six days a week.
One day to recuperate from six days of work just isn’t enough, and it shows in our job performances the following week.
As our country continues down the path of economic recovery, it is high time for the authorities to strengthen the workforce by enacting policies that place mental place as top priority.
Imbalanced Lifer
