MGB’s 8 hour campaign
In 1855 the 8 hour campaign was launched in Sydney Australia, it revolved around the idea that a worker was entitled to:
- 8 hours of work
- 8 hours of recreation and
- 8 hours of rest
This was to be accomplished all in a 24 hour period. By 1856 the 8 hour day was achieved by employees in Melbourne where the working week was reduced to 48 hours over a 6 day period. So does this 8 hour campaign still apply to society today? As Murdoch graduates we feel that this ideology is no longer applicable.
How many of us as university students truly feel we work a 48 hour week? A full time load at university in theory should entail 40 hours of contact time and study a week. This leaves only 8 hours left for paid work and leaves no time for recreation. Already we can see that the 48 hour week is one which cannot be easily applied to students and workers today. We find this model more applicable to our lifestyle:
- 4 hours of paid work
- 2 hours of unpaid work (house work, work experience, volunteer work, commitments)
- 1 hour travel
- 6 hours of university work
- 8 hours of rest
- 3 hours of recreation
As graduates we understand that when we enter the workforce we will encounter similar difficulties. With increasing work loads employess feel compleled to start work earlier, use their lunch breaks to complete extra tasks which if then aren’t completed will cause them to stay back at work or take it home. This cuts into time spent on recreation. These extended work periods encroach on time which should be spent on other activities such as sleep and recreation. Lunch breaks are also used to complete other tasks such as heading to the gym and running errands. This blurs of the distinction between work and recreation. A more realisitc model would be:
- 10 hours of paid work
- 2 hours of unpaid work (house work, volunteer work, commitments)
- 1 hour of travel
- 8 hours of rest
- 3 hour recreation
Hi MGB
I notice in both your models is a 3 hour a day recreation slot.
Recreation is of course the opportunity to re-create our sense of self after the hard work of the day. When I think of it as an active process of creating myself afresh this changes my perception of recreation from a passive model ( of say watching TV) to an active model of ‘feeding my soul’ through art, music, ideas, growing plants etc.
Then I wonder: why out of my 24 hours do I only get to have 3 hours of creative fun?
What do you think of when you see a 3 hour recreation time slot to fill?
September 9th, 2008 at 1:17 pmA fascinating breakdown of students’ hours is in the fab little video created by students in the Digital Ethnography class at Kansas State University:
A vision of students today
September 9th, 2008 at 6:11 pmThe 3 hours of recreation was what was left over. We worked out what each day entailed and then what was left over could be considered for recreation. It is not a choice to have only 3 hours recreation more that we can not fit more in with out compromising on sleep. I agree that recreation does ideed help to ‘re-create’ our sense of self, personally i enjoy reading novels, watching tv, and in the warmer months going to the beach or being outdoors. I’m sure my group members will have varying ideas of recreation and will share them below.
September 16th, 2008 at 6:18 pmIn the ever competitive corporate world, especially in the context of Singapore. It is not practical to follow the ideal model of work-life balance plan as mentioned in the blog. As a working adult who is pursuing a degree during the evening, it is almost impossible.
There were many an occasion where the hours will crept into my own personal time set aside for recreation or social functions. The fear of losing one’s job to a supposely more competed co-worker who has who qualms in putting the extra hours is always present.
The civil service sector has been trying to promote work-life balance by giving the staff a hour off per week for sports and recreation. So while civil servants benefited from this scheme, there are many out there who desperately need a breather.
September 21st, 2008 at 4:40 pmI agree with Eric Chew on what he mentioned in the first paragraph of his post. It is not easy to maintain a healthy work-life in Singapore where shops open at 11am every morning and close at 10pm every night. In the corporate world, the term “9 to 5″ no longer applies. Instead, we have an increasing number of people working over-time(after 5pm) and slogging their guts out to climb up the corporate ladder.
Lunch breaks are spent in front of the computer screens with sandwiches and packed lunches to complete that mountain of reports due. Often, unfinished work are taken home to complete which means you work practically 12 hours a day.
With technologies that are constantly advancing, it is even harder to escape from work. The blackberry provided by the company beeps 24/7, even when you are sleeping or taking a vacation overseas.
More and more families are hiring domestic helpers to take over their “unpaid work” which includes housework, groceries and fetching the kids. This could either leave them with more time for recreation or some would prefer, more time for work.
It is also almost impossible to spend only 1 hour on travel, when traffic is especially congested in the morning and after working hours.
September 21st, 2008 at 5:27 pmThere is an army story i would like to relate. An army friend of mine while training with the army in Australia was washing his army truck when the lunch siren rang. Ignoring the siren, he continued washing his truck. An Australian soldier came up and told him to stop his work and have a break. When my friend ignored the soldier, the Aussie yelled at him to stop. At that point, my friend didn’t need any further persuasion to stop his work.
It is my opinion that many Singaporeans do not know where to actually draw the line between work and rest time. Many a time i have seen people work long past their knock off time, trying to finish up a report which is supposedly important.
Often, they do not realise that important does not necessarily mean that it is urgent. There is also the fear of being seen as lazy or unproductive by the employer. Many employees, especially in small private companies avoid leaving right on the dot at 6pm. In my case, a former boss of mine had once commented that i should stay and work longer hours(without pay!), which was shocking as i have never had a problem meeting deadlines before. My response was my resignation letter.
Such work culture is different from some Western companies such as Germany where staying past the knock off time is frowned upon as it shows a lack of ability on the employee’s part to complete his work on time.
September 21st, 2008 at 9:27 pmI concur with the authors in this blog that in this era of globalization, the 8 hour campaign can no longer be applied. A busy city like Singapore that never sleeps are seeing a rise in 24hours operating outlets like McDonald’s and hawker centres, most service sectors workers are also working on a 10hour basis daily, there is never enough time for personal and recreation activities.
The 9-5 schedule does not even seem to exist these days, every company seems to be working on a 9-6/6.30pm basis, why? because lunch time (1hr) does not count,even though you earned it, and you have to work the full 8-9hour period.It is ridiculous.
Furthermore, an employee undertaking the work load of 3persons is also not a rare sight these days. The mentality of witnessing an employee working, or being busy, dictates that he/she is a good worker, hardworking and willing to sacrifice for the company. Work-from-home seems, still an unacceptable work culture in Singapore. However, this mentality has to change, since the government is emphasizing on work-life balance, companies first has to take the lead in leading their company towards such a culture. Only when personal time is respected, that employees could focus and respect their work and commit in their work.
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:42 pmThis is in my opinion a typical Singaporean office worker’s (or rather mine and my fellow colleagues’)day:
9 hours of paid work
3 hours of unpaid work (unpaid overtime)
2 hours of unpaid work (house work, volunteer work, commitments)
2 hours of total travel (especially in the morning when traffic’s heavy)
6 hours of rest
2 hours recreation (which means I probably spend this time reading or watching TV)
Unfortunately, I have to agree and state my belief that much of Asian society conforms to such a working pattern. In order to not be looked down upon or what Singaporeans call the “kiasu” (literally translated as “scared to lose”) syndrome, one tries to outdo another by staying later and looking for more things to do. Perhaps, all are vying for that promotion.
In doing that, many Singaporeans fail to understand the meaning of “knock off time”. We also tend to forget that there’s such a thing as “after work activities” because it just means to a lot of people as “going home to sleep”.
The difference (which is also what I admire about Western countries) is that people in say Australia, know how to keep a balanced life. I have a few friend who studied in Australia, and decided not to come back. The pace of life there gives just the right amount of stress to keep a person going.
I believe that it is expected of every working adult to know how to balance work and family / after-work life. Like mentioned earlier, the difference is that people in Australia know how to draw a clear line between work and rest. Perhaps in a bid to prove our self worth, many Singaporeans have let that line be blurred badly.
September 23rd, 2008 at 12:27 amWhen we notice something about our culture or our society that we do not agree with, what should we do?
As mentioned in a number of the posts there is a strong emphasis on working long hours in Singapore (and in some positions and jobs this is also occurs in Australia). If as an individual I wish to act ethically and maintain a healthy work-life balance what should I do when confronted with this issue?
Can one person make a difference?
Rosa Parks made a difference.
Would you do what Rosa Parks did?
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:50 pmA healthy work life balance is not similar to the civil rights movement. Its about business sense. Workers in Singapore may win the right to work 8 hours a day but it will only serve to undermine regional business competitivity. Workers in China who are able to work 10 hours a day on less pay will definitely be more attractive to a business owner.
The ‘Rosa Parks’ of healthy work life will only face isolation and criticism in Singapore’s business oriented environment and doom herself to failure.
Individuality in Singapore is not encouraged. So is dissent. The fear to be the lone ranger against the empire is still too overpowering for a Singaporean Rosa Parks to emerge.
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:21 pmOkay, question for u full time students. Work VS study. I lead a highly stressful job and twice a week i have to attend classes. Curious to know, anyone in Australia working part time while studying. Any tips?
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:36 pmIt would be an ideal situation of working, recreation and rest 8 hour each. To be honest, there is no such luxury of time in such hectic and competitive lifestyle in Singapore and in many parts of the world. I could not help but agree to MCG’s breakdown of time.
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:21 pmo 10 hours of paid work
o 2 hours of unpaid work (house work, volunteer work, commitments)
o 1 hour of travel
o 8 hours of rest
o 3 hour recreation
It seems that because of workloads and trying to live up to the expectation of others, many would sacrifice their rest, recreation and even family time. Many would work over-time and to the extend of bring work home in hope of completing assigned tasks. There also seem no longer a clear fine line between work and personal times as many would meet business partners or clients over lunch to talk about partnerships etc. and of such actions are already common practice in the working life. All of such happenings could be lead so as bosses placed much emphasis on work efficiency and employees focus on job increment and promotion.
There is a saying that “health is wealth” and I believe one whom wants to excel in work must first learn to take care of his/her health. This only so that he/she would be able to think and focus on what is to be done. With reduced health issues then one can concentrate fully while at work and be efficient. Therefore one should learn how to relax and have fun as well as quality family time.
Agreeably, an 8-hour work routine is considered extinct in the developed world. To have a 45-hour work week would be most ideal to any working professional. Unfortunately, it would be difficult to even achieve such a work-life balance in the real working society. An attempt for an employee to apply such a model in Singapore would probably be frowned upon by fellow peers and management level as lacking commitment and initiative.
As such is the working culture in Singapore, our young professionals are fuelled by great ambitions and strong drives for success. They feel the need to not only fulfill their required working commitments but also to go-the-mile and exceed the expectations set by their superiors. Naturally, this would entail unofficial extensions of daily working hours and burnt weekends. All this is done void of coercion. Having said, our government has done a great job in advocating a need for a balanced work life amongst fellow Singaporeans. Such an initiative is the Eat With Your Family Day that reinforces the essence of family togetherness, has led to many corporations endorsing this movement.
Work life culture differs from one country to another. Nonetheless, Singaporean professionals have their own distinctive attributes that have paved us to our achievements today. To compete in a globalised society today, one must note that time efficiency is paramount and with it entails certain consequences that require us to either make changes or adapt.
September 24th, 2008 at 12:40 pmMy previous profession required me to work till late almost everyday. This is not withstanding that I was still taking up this part-time degree course that required me to set aside time to attend evening class. My question is how does one prioritize her time effectively in both academic and work situations without having to sacrifice either entity?
September 24th, 2008 at 12:40 pmNice initiative to have the 8 hour campaign. That is welfare and we are referring to a campaign that was over 150 years ago. Things are evolving real fast.
People in this 21st century are getting increasingly TIME-POOR. And we have all learn how to be a great multi-tasker.
Cutting down on the rest time, sacrificing on the recreation time does not mean our work load will be reduced. We are forever struggling to cope with the ever increasing workload and meeting the bossess demand.
I am wondering if the fast pace is good? Are we getting more productive with our time? Or it is just simply rush rush rush…
Trust that where working culture and working styles are concerns, vary in both countries. But as far as the organisation and company are concern, employer want high competence, mutli task and SUPER efficient worker.
September 24th, 2008 at 2:39 pmOne of my close friends recently quit her old job and went over to work for another company. She went from working ten hours to thirteen hours just because she is new and on probation. She pretty much held the same position as her last job but this new one simply pays better. She shared with me the reason for staying late was simply because her boss was still in the office and she does not want to leave before he does!
The expectations on a new working professional are always increasing and sadly an eight hour day is something that is becoming extinct. Besides putting in an eight hour day, how many actually have to work on and take conference calls from home? I’ve heard many horror stories from friends who work in the public relations industry in Singapore who not only have to work on a shoestring budget but work through the night several times a week!
I definitely agree with what Penny has said about “our young professionals are fuelled by great ambitions and strong drives for success” as the mindset of most Singaporeans is about the 5Cs (Car, Condominium, Club Membership, Cash and Credit Card)! Penny also mentioned about the government initiatives and a very recent issue that was brought up is the government efforts to make working life more pro family. It would be interesting to see how companies would manage with the situation.
Expectations are usually managed by your direct superior and while ideally work should be based on the quality of it, it is sometimes a matter of “face” especially in an Asian society. “Face” in this instance would imply the hours that you portray to your boss. The influx of foreign “talent” in recent years could also be a fascinating subject matter to the expectations of a working person in Singapore today.
September 24th, 2008 at 5:05 pmUpon reading all of the above comments, i strongly feel like the rest, that in Singapore there is no such thing as work balance. Why so ? The many people you see leaving their work places on time are the big bosses. Fresh graduates who sucessfully enter the working world, aim to do nothing but to climb the corporate ladder. This then requires commitment to the company, ignorance of actually having a social life and of course spending lesser time with family.
I have a family member who managed to find a great job with a shipping firm. She works 13 hours a day and she doesn’t complain because she feels her dreams have come true. I then asked, would you stop one day and tell yourself, you’re sick of this life and wish you could turn back time and do something else? She then said she probably would. So for most of us, getting a job in the field of what we studied would be excellent cos then the education you gained and money spend would be well worth, but then that would also require you to forget the world and focus on your job.
An 8 hour job is hard to find these days, you get paid for the 8 hours and spend an extra 3 hours to clear up whatever that has to be done because if it does not get cleared up, you’ll just end up piling up work and having to spend more hours in the office that you would expect to. I guess the only incentive given to work these extra hours are promotions = more money!
September 24th, 2008 at 8:34 pmLike most develop countries, the 8 hour campaign may not be effective especially if its not made compulsory. This is often because of the culture and habits, for example in Singapore, companies generally operate five days a week from 9am-5/6pm. Although this is to allow Singaporeans to have sufficient rest and time for leisure, but this privilege do not apply to those who work in service sector such as sales assistant who usually have to work 6 days a week from 11am to 9pm. Instead, there are malls which promotes late night shopping on certain days of the week, although these sales assistant are paid more than usual for working till later hours, money do not buy time.
In such a competitive corporate environment and also due to the attitude not wanting to lose out, it is normal for Singaporeans to feel threatened of being replaced, especially the older workers, they tend to work overtime just to prove their efficiency and to show their passion towards their job. And also because of the management culture and ways here, it is really rare to see employers stopping employees to work overtime as well.
September 24th, 2008 at 8:53 pmHere’s my version of typical Singaporean profession:
10hrs Paid work
4hrs Unpaid work (overtime)
3hrs Meals
5hrs Sleep
2hrs Recreation
2hrs Travel
2hrs Time wasted
I didn’t fail my maths for your info. It is just my opinion that Singaporeans need 28 hrs instead because we seem to always need to the 4hrs of extra work which was brought forward from the previous day. You know what i mean? haha
I’m not complaining. In fact i think as i was reading most of the comments above, we are well over the stage of complaining and have ideally ‘achieved’ a 28hrs routine in our LIFE. We don’t count days or hours anymore. It’s like reading music beyond the bar lines.
As illustrated by the (extremely funny, crude and realistic ) picture above by cartoonstock.com. I think we singaporeans have mutated already. Seeing the current world situation, maybe you guys (australians) will soon reach the stage of mutation too.
September 24th, 2008 at 11:54 pmAlthough it will be ideal for all of us to have a well balanced life as mentioned in the discussion, the real situation today proves otherwise after some reality checks. As the society changes over time, the demand in speed and efficiency increases as well. Employees are required to be able to multi-task and be productive in all the aspects of their work. This is why there has been an increase emphasis by the government in promoting healthy and well balanced lifestyle.
For me personally, I am a full time student who is engaged in a part time paid job and occasionally take up assignments to earn extra income to save up for rainy days in such economic unstable world. I am grateful to have a very understanding boss that allows me to have flexible schedule and also acknowledge my contributions to the company.
However, I will not deny the fact that my job has eat into my recreational time. This is especially so when assignments due dates or exams are nearing. My friends are constantly complaining that I have become an anti-social and always seem to be unable to take time off to have a gathering. In additional, the commitment for my job has also affected my academic performances from time to time. Therefore, I truly admire those students who are engage in a full time paid job while studying part time. Even so, I believe they cannot escape the demands of the society now and they must have made their fair share of sacrifices in exchange for their education.
September 25th, 2008 at 1:41 amPerfect – 8 hours of work, 8 hours of recreation and 8 hours of rest. Very unfortunately, that can only be a fabricated dream, a fervent fancy painted by our indulgent minds. Yes, so pop goes the bubble, snapping us back to reality. The 8 hour campaign launched (with a pretense it functioned in Singapore) in 1955 has long met its demise.
It is all so unfortunate how the 8 hour campaign can only be a reverie in today’s society. Why so? It can be explicable upon these grounds (only examples, am pretty sure there are much more other factors):
- expectations from bosses,
- excess workload,
- fear and threat of being obsolete/replaced in the company,
- silent competition among colleagues and peers,
- the strain of maintaining the ever increasing living standards,
- the ambitious mindset that serves as either a challenge to ourselves or a motivation towards own goals.
The society of Singapore has became exceedingly fast paced and competitive. Sure, doing a job which does not exceed 8 hours a day is possible – for underachievers, that is. An 8 hour routine job has become nonexistent or a rarity now. As harsh as it sounds, I think the silent competition and ambitious mindset destroy the 8 hour job routine. So yes, in this aspect, the 8 hour job routine becomes extinct and it is sabotaged by no one, but us. Nevertheless, it is all understandable. The fast paced life has instilled the competitive mindset in us so as ‘not to lose out to others’. We all then become ambitious and set goals for ourselves – be it towards a promotion in the company, a luxurious life or material gains and wants. With the competitive nature so common now, expectation from bosses increases and workload received heightens. It is either do it, or get fired. Here, the daily work of basic 8 hour is being cancelled immediately with OT (overtime) stepping in. We still swallow it all down and stay on, doing the work very grudgingly and silently cursing that the official working hours are over.
It has came to a point that we are all compelled to be all the above in order to survive due to the ever increasing living standards. Very sad, but the root of survival really makes the 8 hour campaign non applicable.
September 25th, 2008 at 2:55 amin response to Nur Ariffian earlier blog i am working part time plus studying fulltime. i try to take weekend shifts and if i am unable to do so i try to get my shifts when am done with my lectures so its working pretty good for me till now.
September 29th, 2008 at 1:16 pmNur Ariffian - I am working part-time, as are all of the other members of MGB!! We seem to manage ok or at least we are learning to manage ok. I think its all about prioritising your time management, make sure all your assignments are all sorted well before hey are due, if not pull an all nighter I think that’s what a lot of us full time uni students and part-time workers end having to do. Unless you have an endless supply of money it is a necessity to work. I still live at home with my parents so in that respect I am quite lucky as I don’t have to pay rent or pay for a lot of the food I eat. For those people studying and living out of home I applaud you!!! It’s tough enough for me living off the little money I get a week, and one I have paid for petrol, car registration, uni fees etc. I have very little money for myself. All in all I do think I cope quite well with managing my very busy work and uni load.
September 29th, 2008 at 3:56 pmI agree with agnes teo’s comment about “health is wealth”. Working long hours and overtime on a tired body and mind is almost equivalent to not working at all. I had a friend who barely slept 3 hours a day whilst juggling between work and school. He was never able to concentrate and work at 100%, barely even 50. As a result, he ended up losing his job and barely passing his classes that year. There needs to be a balance to ensure that your daily “performance” isn’t compromised due to your personal state of mind and body.
September 30th, 2008 at 10:58 pmEric Chew: I understand your concern I have a friend from singapore who has completed a degree in what is considered a very high proffession who has told me that all she does is work. She also said when she isnt working she constantly thinking about work so she never has any time for recreation or herself. Due to this stressful lifestyle and despite the fact that she was a university for 5 yrs she decided to quit her job and go elsewhere so she can have a bit of a’life’ so to speak. I too also go to univeristy full time and work 3 days a week and also have 1 day a week of prac so my life is very stressful. My advice to you is to put at least half an hour a day to yourself where you can just relax and dont think about workl all study.
October 1st, 2008 at 7:15 amGood Luck-
I have read all the comments and I noticed that Agnes teo is the only one that brins up the fact that that famiy time is often sacrificed. This is a huge issue with me. I have two young children. I have done most of my degree part-time either pregnant or with babies. I have coped okay, but I’ve ony managed to get a pass average. I do not have any recreation time, most of the time I’m struggling to catch up on housework. I’m finishing my degree at the end of this year and wondering how I’m going to find the time to fit everything in when I start “work”. I am not alone, not ony is the 8 hour working day almost obsolete, but there is also pressure on mothers to do paid work as well. In 1955 I think mothers generally stayed home. Not only the immediate family but I have spoken to other people about this and it hard to arrange a time to catch up with my sister who only lives five minutes away, she works to pay off a mortgage. It seems that something is going to give, how long can we just put one foot in front of another, where is our quality of life?
October 1st, 2008 at 8:27 amThankyou for your comments on the eight hour day Nur Ariffian. My brother is in the Australian Army and the life style from what I understand is fairly relaxed (but most people in the army don’t want to admit that). The cultural differences between our two countries are evident when someone is in a position similar to the one your friend was in. Many times we just assume that everyone thinks works and acts the same as we do, this leads to misunderstandings and often frustrating situations. There are no simple answers for such situations, except making yourself aware of some cultural norms and customs before going to a country, and then hope you got it right…
October 6th, 2008 at 1:32 pmI agree with you Tan Yan Pin Estelle, the work force is becoming a demanding and consuming place. How do we deal with this?? I have to admit that my current job is not that demanding at the present time; however I am overloading my studies this semester and I am still working part time hours, so time is a valuable commodity that I do not always have enough off. There is a need to have a balanced life, but some times that is not always possible (especially when you are at uni), but maybe we expect too much and do too much… and it is this that leads us to have an overworked style of life. Looking at some of the comments to my group’s blog, maybe the lack of time is self inflicted, and that we are not allocating enough personal time? I could be wrong but are we not the masters of our own domain…
October 6th, 2008 at 1:51 pmIn response to Serafina Lim’s comments, if find it quite fascinating how in Singapore there is so much unpaid work that is expected of workers and that there lunch break is time which needs to be made up. I’m sure this encourages workers to work through there lunchbreak. The workplace in Singapore sounds highly stressful and face paced I’m sure Australia is too but Singapore seems to take it up a level. Thankyou for your comments its always interesting hearing from another perspective.
October 6th, 2008 at 2:37 pmHi,
I agree with Jolin lee about the those in the service sector who have to end up working 11-9pm 6 days a week. many of them have no choice as they do not want to lose out to the rest of the staffs. everyone is competing with each other. Family time? WHAT family time?
I have many friends here working in 2 different industries such as salespersons and teachers. what i realize is there is a very strong difference in working culture between Australia and Singapore. For example, i find it difficult to find a shopping mall that closes before 6pm in Singapore. But in Australia, i find it hard to find one that is open AFTER 6pm, except for Thursdays, where they close at 9pm. what does this mean? More family and recreational time for the Australian workers. While this is not favorable to customers, it is so for the workers. They all know that they have their recreational time after 6 daily. No competition needed as to who is willing to sacrifice personal time for the company. everyone goes home happy. I also realized that job for job, the pay is much better in Australia. I have friends who chose to stay in Australia rather than to return home looking for stress.
The teachers i have spoken to have also agreed to the better working culture here.
October 8th, 2008 at 2:13 pmJust to add on, i think a union with a strong voice plays an important role in getting benefits and welfare for the workers. There are unions who stand by employees and force changes and there are unions that choose to be on the safer side and keep mum, trying to talk their employees into accepting what is given to them. how can change happen when the unions do not back their employees up?
October 8th, 2008 at 7:02 pmI couldn’t resist replying to Carvin’s comment. At the risk of sounding racist, one has to also think of the Asian mentality, in particular Chinese mentality. The Chinese have always prioritised wealth over everything else.
This can be seen in the very culture of the Chinese society. Wealth and Prosperity are two popular Chinese words seen in Chinese homes during Chinese New Year. Chinese weddings are often seen as opportunities to earn money for the couple.
Individuals and companies hire feng shui masters for advise on increasing prosperity through feng shui. Come to think about it, even the new Singapore icon, The Singapore Flyer changed its direction of rotation as a feng shui master commented that the previous rotation meant wealth was flowing out of Singapore.
With such a culture embedded into Singapore, change to working ethics isn’t going to be knocking on Singapore’s door anytime soon. The race to earn as much as possible disallows people from laying back to rest. I was watching a rerun of Alien Resurrection on TV today when a character said, “You rest when you die”. With the recent changes in working age limits, social security and skills upgrading for seniors, maybe thats what Singaporeans are going to do. Only rest when they finally die.
October 9th, 2008 at 1:46 amI cannot visualize living in a culture where work is the number one priority, as we would say its ‘Un-Australian’. My friends and I have always and will always put our family and close ones first. We work to live not live to work.
I can understand that in Asian cultures respect is bestowed upon those who are successful however, how and more importantly when do you take time out to relax and rejuvenate your body, mind and soul? The short term rewards may appear worthwhile but at a cost (social lives, romance and possibly depression or burning out from stress).
I think too much focus is on what Kadir states the 5 C’s (car, credit card, condo, club membership and cash). Australians are less ambitious, rather interested in having a good time and maintaining close relationships.
In an age where face to face communications are becoming less frequent due to busy schedules and the convenience of emails, text messaging, etc it is important to maintain some sense of value in regards to taking time out and having a coffee with a friend or going to the park and kicking the footy with a mate.
It is interesting to hear the Singaporean students saying that they would like to reduce their working week to be like Australians and we are complaining we work too much. The days of ancient Rome, where labourers would work enough to feed their family and maybe acquire some wine would definitely suit many Australians who seek such little and find satisfaction quite easily. It was common to have weeks off and socialize or maybe just sit under a tree and unwind.
My personal view would be in the middle somewhere. I like to work hard and earn as much as I can, however I wouldn’t do long hours unless I had a goal in mind such as putting that hard-earned money to good use, like a weekend away with my girl, a new surfboard or floorboards in my house. This is why many Australians follow the rainbow that leads to the goldmines in country Western Australia. With the prospect of huge wages and a 2 week on, 1 week off roster, can you blame them? Many of my friends are currently employed in this manner, some save their money, some invest in property and some spend it every time they are back in Perth. I say good on them, you only live once!
October 10th, 2008 at 1:31 pmNur Ariffian raised the question of working and being a student, and I think it’s something that most uni students, both young and old have to face. For me, the most important thing is balance and working in an environment that you know will be flexible.
As a student, your timetable changes every semester, and you need to be able to speak to your boss or shift manager to tell them that you may need to change shifts on this basis. One tip there, then, is to try and find an employer that will understand your situation.
There are a lot of jobs that are available to students which allow you to change shifts with little hassle. I think that right from the outset, your employer should know that you are a university student, and that you may have to change shifts, or take a smaller workload towards the end of semester.
Also, as Nur and others have pointed out, working and studying is all about balance.
For me, I like to set out tasks that I need to accomplish for the week, such as assignments, readings and research, so that I can know what work I have to do and what time I will have free. My diary is one of the most useful things I own – I use it to divide my weekly tasks and intersperse them with day to day chores and appointments. Putting down what you want to do with your day and the time that you have to do it in is one of the best ways of maintaining a balance between work, study and life.
October 11th, 2008 at 4:51 pmWell, after 6 long years of studying, working part time, caring for my 4 children, who are now thankfully teenagers, caring for my husband who has been ill for the past 10 years and having no time for myself, I actually don’t know what I want to do after all this.I can’t really say I have lost my enthusiasm, but I really don’t know what field I feel like working in now.After reading all of the above, from everybody, it seems most find it hard to find a balance. I have no desire to be someone’s corporate puppet after learning and hearing so many differing comments over the years about things and stressing myself out to the max to get that bottom line.So, I think I may find a completely different direction in which to go in.I agree with all the comments above and think that finding the balance is essential, if you can do that, good on ya, let me know the secret. The good thing about university is that it teaches you to think in ways that you probably wouldn’t normally.It teaches you to be far more critical and observant.It has taught me to be far more tolerant of different beliefs and cultures, as before I went to uni I never interacted with people from Asia for example. I have been surprised at some of the comments from the Asian students and how different their culture is. I have found the students I have met to be extremely friendly and jovial.I have met many that have had no relaxation or social time and one that fell asleep in the cafeteria before exams.I realise that many of us have had the same experiences, but if you are an Aussie you generally socialise and relax at some time regardless.I think that I will have some thinking time for a month and rest my brain and then test the waters instead of jumping in full steam ahead.Anyhow, good luck with all your future endeavours.
October 14th, 2008 at 7:56 pmI agree with Lau Lifeng when she mentioned that we do not count days or hours anymore. In this ever hectic society, where we are constantly bugged by work and personal commitments, it’s never easy to keep track of hours and days. We longer stick to a fix schedule anymore. The eight or ten hours of paid work a day might increase to twelve or more when you find yourself constantly stacked beneath a mountain of work.
The eight hours of sleep we have promised ourselves might be nipped away without our notice and gradually decreased to five, sometimes even four. Sleeping is no longer the time for relaxing your mind and body; rather, it has become a nuisance. Have you ever wished you were a superman? One who does not need any sleep, and still feel fresh and energetic everyday? Imagine the time you could use if sleep was never deprived.
And no, once you stepped into the working society, the possibility of spending even two hours on recreation could be decreased drastically, much less say three hours. The time taken to have our meals and showers add up to almost two hours and if you are impeccably fast, maybe an hour? Well, that leaves only an hour for recreation.
Arrange your schedule wisely and stick to it, if possible. Say no to extra work you might not be able to handle, say no to hanging out if you feel that you need the much-earned rest. Learn to decline at the right time and unnecessary pressure will be avoided.
October 26th, 2008 at 11:14 pmIn this day and age, the 8-hour campaign might not really work out effectively. There are many reason why and the main thing is globalization.
Think about it, a MNC has to have staff that work through the night because it has branches across the globe that is working whilst those on this side of the globe are sleeping.
And in this fast-paced society, there are so many things to be done with so little time.
As I’m juggling work and school, I barely have time to do revision on my school work, even my friends have to book me a month in advance for a date.
I guess it all boils down to time management. Everyone has 24 hours a day and the amount of work done is dependable on how much effort and motivation one has.
October 30th, 2008 at 11:20 pmOne of the reason that attracted me in a teaching career was the working hours. Upon graduation I will be teaching at Institute Technology Brunei (http://www.itb.edu.bn/). Officially we are required to work from 7:45am to 4:30pm as per normal Government working hours. However being a lecturer we are giving autonomy with our working hours as long as lecture and tutorial is adequately prepared and time is adhered to. But either then that our performance is monitored according to students performance.
I know I can get more money working else where as a IT Security Professional but I don’t see myself working until the wee hours of the night just to chase money.
Plus by having flexibility in time, I can use it to pursuit other interest particular looking after my business and properties.
So with that I don’t think I can work in a environment where it doesn’t allow me that much free time. I’ve got other priorities.
November 4th, 2008 at 4:57 pmResponse to Julia Hobson (Post #9, September 23rd, 2008 at 3:50 pm)
After reading the above-mentioned post, I would like to clarify if it was suggested that a ‘confrontational approach’ should be adopted when we had different views or ideas on how things should be done.
This is because the choice of words such as ‘do not agree with’ and ‘when confronted with this issue’, kind of suggest that we should take a ‘confrontational approach’ when we are faced with an open conflict of opposing views and ideas. Furthermore, Rosa Parks was an African American civil rights activist who had resorted to the use of civil disobedience when she refused to obey the bus driver’s order that she give up her seat to make room for a white passenger.
I think that ‘confrontational approaches’ like civil disobedience or other civil right movements such as demonstration are not always the best way to address an issue as they does not guarantee success all the time, especially in societies with laws (Internal Security Act) that enable the government to arrest and detain any person without trial. For example, Hindu activists in Malaysia was arrested and detained late last year when they organized protest against the Malaysian government’s racist policies that resulted in Malaysian Indians being marginalized and sidelined from the country developments. Therefore, depending on the context and situation, different types of approach or method should be adopted to deal with problems in the society.
Hence, I might consider not using Rosa Parks as an example and change the tone of the comment to a more generic one which offers a less opinionated view.
December 6th, 2008 at 9:25 am