Dear editor,
People need to have more time off because doing a large quantity of work makes them unhappy. If people work without holidays, it hurts them both in mind and body.
When people work too much, they often feel stressed and fall ill. For example, Korea's working hours are ranked second among OECD countries. Unfortunately, Korea also ranks very high in its suicide and cancer death rates. I think there is a strong connection there. People need more time to relieve their stress and enjoy their lives.
Another reason more holidays are needed is to help the economy. If people have more private time, they are likely to spend more money. With more time off, people are likely to take more trips and go out on more dates. The money they spend on such leisure activities would be good for the market economy.
There are possible solutions.
First, companies should comply with the fundamental principle of the five-day workweek. Many companies don't. When employees are hired, some employers promise they will only be required to work five-day weeks, but those promises are sometimes broken.
Second, companies should set a closing time and stick to it. Many are forced to work overtime due to the large amounts of work they are assigned.
A friend of mine usually works overtime. She says employees must be on time when they report to work, but if they leave work each day when they are supposed to, they are criticized. Thus, she comes home late every day, usually around 9 or 10 p.m.
After work, she has no time for herself because she has to go to bed early to get up for work again the next day. I think the high intensity and long work hours of most jobs exhaust workers.
If employers would just stick to a reasonable work schedule, employees might feel much better and the quality of their work might improve. They might try harder to do their best during their work hours.
People need to have more time off because doing a large quantity of work makes them unhappy. If people work without holidays, it hurts them both in mind and body.
When people work too much, they often feel stressed and fall ill. For example, Korea's working hours are ranked second among OECD countries. Unfortunately, Korea also ranks very high in its suicide and cancer death rates. I think there is a strong connection there. People need more time to relieve their stress and enjoy their lives.
Another reason more holidays are needed is to help the economy. If people have more private time, they are likely to spend more money. With more time off, people are likely to take more trips and go out on more dates. The money they spend on such leisure activities would be good for the market economy.
There are possible solutions.
First, companies should comply with the fundamental principle of the five-day workweek. Many companies don't. When employees are hired, some employers promise they will only be required to work five-day weeks, but those promises are sometimes broken.
Second, companies should set a closing time and stick to it. Many are forced to work overtime due to the large amounts of work they are assigned.
A friend of mine usually works overtime. She says employees must be on time when they report to work, but if they leave work each day when they are supposed to, they are criticized. Thus, she comes home late every day, usually around 9 or 10 p.m.
After work, she has no time for herself because she has to go to bed early to get up for work again the next day. I think the high intensity and long work hours of most jobs exhaust workers.
If employers would just stick to a reasonable work schedule, employees might feel much better and the quality of their work might improve. They might try harder to do their best during their work hours.
Kim Su-jin
Student, Seokyeong University
Shim_mer@naver.com
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