There is often talk about poor working conditions in China, Africa and developing countries. However, many often overlook another work related issue that happens here in the so-called “developed” world – Overworking.
To tackle this issue, Goldman Sachs has banned workers from working between 9pm Friday night and 9am Sunday morning (as of November 2013). Goldman is also discouraging employees from working at home during those hours and encouraging employees to take a minimum of three weeks off every year.
Controversy erupted this past summer after a 21-year-old intern at the Bank of America Merill Lynch died from overworking. This new policy should strengthen Goldman’s public image. Also, Goldman hopes that happier and healthier employees will mean improved productivity, which in turn will lead to further successes.
The happiness part, of course assumes that employees wish to work less hours. As surprising as this sounds, not everyone prefers to work less hours. In August 2013 South Korean legislation passed a bill that shortened work hours and they faced heavy criticism as a result. People faced higher levels of stress at work because they had to meet the same demands in less working hours.
So, how will Goldman employees react to this new policy? Will they be support or refute the shorter work hours?
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