ALL work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, or so the saying goes. Will a 45-hour work week make Jack less dull?
Maybe not, but it may be a good start to achieve work-life balance. Malaysia is expected to start a shorter-hour work week from 48 to 45 hours next month.
This may just be what's needed after the two-year routine of working from home due to the pandemic. Some government agencies and private companies are already practising the hybrid working model.
An unhappy, overworked population will lead to a drop in productivity. Long work hours puts us at risk of health issues, such as heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure.
Consider the benefits of shorter work hours — improved productivity, reduction in employee turnover and lower medical costs. It will also allow more time for personal and family activities.
Less stress and better health. Not exactly euphoria, but it's a feeling that the move has been long overdue. Why? Because in 2019, a report in This Week In Asia said workers in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Tokyo had some of the worst work-life balance in the world. A more recent survey earlier this month by Kisi, a tech company, also revealed that Kuala Lumpur had the worst overall work-life balance among 40 major cities in the world.
A shorter-hour work week also means a slew of challenges. Will workers be laid off? Will there be a need for overtime? For certain sectors like food and beverage, will there be a shortage of workers? It may also mean more pressure to finish one's job quicker — will that affect work quality?
There is plenty of science that supports shorter work hours. Last year, a Randstad bi-annual survey in Malaysia found that 88 per cent of Malaysians felt the pandemic had empowered them to improve their work-life balance.
After working from home for most of the pandemic, 94 per cent of Malaysians want more flexibility in their jobs and careers.
Let's take a look at countries with shorter work hours. The Dutch work 29.5 hours only a week, followed by Denmark (32.5 hours), Norway (33.6 hours), Switzerland (34.6 hours) and Austria (35.5 hours). A study from 2015 to 2019 in Iceland, which involved some 2,500 civil servants of the same salary scale, found productivity remained or improved after the work hours were reduced to either a 35- or 36-hour week from 40.
Here's another one — a study on shorter work hours in Sweden last year found that workers had less stress, fatigue and negative emotions. Sleep patterns also improved. In an earlier study, Swedish researchers found nurses who worked 35 hours a week instead of 40 had fewer sick days, leading to reduced employer costs.
They said stress "nose-dived, workers have more time and energy to devote to hobbies, exercise, errands and friends, and more time for parents to devote to childcare".
In today's fast-paced environment, things are constantly on the move, even more so after the pandemic as Malaysians have a lot to catch up in their work. But let's slowly move away from the routine that has left little room for rest, respite and recreation.
Let work not be the mantra, but aim for that work-life balance that has eluded us for so long.