Barbara Brandt says The work ethic fosters the widely held belief that people’s work is their most important activity and that people who do not work long and hard are lazy, unproductive, and worthless. Put into my own words would conclude that the American people agree that working a lot is nothing out of the ordinary. The type of job you hold can determine where you live, who your friends are, and eventually Who you marry. With so many people being highly qualified, the best workers are those Willing to go the extra millwork longer hours and perform better work. Ultimately, people who do not possess these two qualities would probably be deemed as lazy, unproductive, and worthless. Americans often assume that overwork is inevitable.
There is the normal routine of working eight hours a day, 5 days a week, for 50 weeks a year. Author Tomoyuki Iwa‘censored‘a of Why I Quit the Company, took on this normal routine while working at a Japanese company. The working day was officially eight hours, but often workers would never leave the office on time, Working. drinking, sleeping, and standing on a horribly crowded commuter train for an hour and a half each way: this was my life. He soon lost sight of the world outside the company, as do many Americans. Families whose members never see each other, and women who work double shifts are all casualties of the crisis of overwork. Ironically, with all the advances in technology today, one would think that employees’ workloads would lessen but it has only pushed them to work more on the job.
Computers and fax machines keep employees at the office to complete more work, to go the extra mile. Also, many conveniences like TV dinners allow workers to handle more hours at paid work. These types of things make it okay for parents to stay at work longer and spend less time at home. In Japan, married workers had little time to spend With their wives or children, even on the weekends, Most workers believe this to be a normal working life or just cannot see another alternative. Many think that such personal sacrifices are necessary to be economically successful. Americans emphasize on productivity and commitment, which results in many workers refusing vacation time. For many Americans, paid work is not just a way to make money but is a crucial source of their self-worth.
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I know looking back at the years that I did not work and relied mostly on my mother for income, are almost embarrassing, There is something wonderful about going to work and earning a paycheck, Many of us identify ourselves almost entirely by the kind of work we do. Because we are so deeply a work-orientated society, leisure-time aCIlVlIlES, and doing nothing are not looked on as essential and worthwhile components of life. The Japanese themselves have begun to consider workaholism as a serious social problem. Overtiredness and overwork left people with little energy to analyze or criticize their situation. Karoshi (death from overwork) is increasingly common and is always being discussed.
Employers never took things like this seriously and blamed employees of not taking care of themselves. Annual vacation days got used up when workers got sick from stress. Often employees had to pretend that they worked normal hours by not reporting all overtime or leave early when union representatives came around. The lack of information in the United States that they can learn from any other nation (except workaholic Japan) is one reason why more Americans don’t think ovenNork is a major problem. I didnt know until reading both articles that other countries received so much vacation time, even after being with a company for only a short time While many of us work, others are unable to find work at all.
Those lucky enough to get full-time jobs are bribed into agreeing With the boss on everything, while the spectre of unemployment always appears as the ultimate punishment for the unruly. Some observers suggest that keeping people divided into employed and unemployed creates feelings of resentment and inferiority/superiority between the two groups. They blame each other rather than corporations and political figures who actually dictate our nation’s policies. Stress is a pan of everybody’s lite, Depending on the level of stress, it can control our lives, especially In the workplace. We begin to spend several long hours at work, and thus have less time for other things. overworked employees may be unhappy and thus produce nominally overwork can deteriorate social and family relationships and eventually burn you out; ultimately it can take toll on your health.
Organizations need to recognize overworking as a problem and decide whether or not to act upon it. This question needs to be answered because stress is a problem that all organizations must deal with: overwork can cause poor work performance and lower employee morale. These factors can increase employee turnover rate and lessen quality of life. With downsizing the buzzword in the modern corporate world, companies have become mean and lean. Employees are compelled to be more efficient: they find themselves taking on the work ol what used to be two. The result is longer hours, less time lor outside activities, and consequently increased stress.
