? Recently, Peking University Social Investigation and Research Center released "20 12 China Workplace Balance Index Survey Report", which pointed out that the current situation of overtime work in China is serious. At present, the average working time of professionals in China is 8.38 hours. 30.3% people work more than 10 hour every day, and the longest is 16 hour. 65.8% people still need to continue to work for the company after returning home. Nine to five should be the most normal working condition for office workers, and national laws also have clear restrictions on overtime. Why is overtime so serious? In this regard, our reporter made an unannounced visit. ? Among the people surveyed, nearly 60% of the overtime workers reported that their physical condition was getting worse and worse, and words such as "stress", "staying up late", "sub-health" and "karoshi" gradually became a lingering shadow in their hearts. However, despite this, many respondents still said that they had to continue their professional life of "voluntary overtime" in the face of professional pressure and life pressure.
? Overtime reasons
? One is caused by pressure: it is not easy to find a job, and you have to bite the bullet if you don't want to find it.
? At 6: 30 in the evening, Mr. Chen, an auditor in a company, took the shuttle bus home from the industrial zone with a computer bag in his hand. His face is full of fatigue.
? These days, Mr. Chen arrives at the industrial zone at 9: 00 every morning. After turning on the computer, he begins to bury himself in his work: checking the information provided by customers and making audit papers ... After a simple lunch at noon, he immediately goes to work until the customers get off work. During this period, there was almost no time to rest and relax, only computers and piles of materials spent 8 hours working with him.
? In fact, this year is the second year that Mr. Chen has become an auditor, but he really feels as if he has been in this industry for a long time. Frequent overtime and business trips are the root causes of his illusion. "65438+ 10 to March is our peak season. The weekly overtime hours in that year basically exceeded 10 hour. " Speaking of overtime, Mr. Chen is also very calm: "In fact, no one stipulates that you must work overtime, but I can't fall behind if people work so hard." Besides, in our line of work, there are so many things out there that you will have to do them sooner or later. If you don't finish it on time in the end, you will be out of luck. "
? These two days, Mr. Chen has to burn the midnight oil at home until the evening 10 before he can rest. He believes that this is a very demanding thing for physical fitness and work enthusiasm. "The projects arranged by the leaders are almost impossible to finish on time without overtime. But now the competition in the industry is so fierce that it is not easy to find a job. No matter how unhappy you are, you can only bite the bullet. "
? Life is forced: without overtime pay, life is a problem.
? Miss Liu, who works in a lighting factory, is 26 years old. She often lives a "nine-to-nine" life and has hardly enjoyed a real eight-hour working day since she went to work.
? For Miss Liu, the assembly line works like a robot every day and is repeatedly assembled. Although it is inevitable to repeat the same action for a long time, her back is sore and her hands are cramped, but she "enjoys it." The reason why she is so keen on working overtime is that she cares more about her income. "Overtime pay basically accounts for more than half of my total income. If I don't work overtime, how can I live with a basic salary? "
? It turns out that the salary setting of Miss Liu's lamp factory is composed of basic salary, allowance and overtime pay. It's not hard. Miss Liu earns less than 2000 yuan a month. Therefore, not only she, but almost all the workers in the factory have a high "enthusiasm" for overtime. It is often late at night, and the workshop is still brightly lit.
? To the reporter's surprise, Miss Liu did not show any dissatisfaction with such a life. "Anyway, it's nothing to rent a house at night, and I can earn more money in the factory. There is nothing wrong with thinking like this. Besides, if I don't rely on overtime pay, it will be difficult for me to support myself in Shanghai, let alone send money back to my hometown. "
? Forced by three indicators: I can't finish the prescribed tasks and I have to work overtime.
? In some labor-intensive enterprises, especially small and medium-sized private enterprises and processing enterprises that implement piecework wage system, overtime is also a common practice for employees.
? Mr. Zhang is an ordinary worker engaged in sewing in a private furniture factory in Shanghai. The company implements a comprehensive calculation of working hours and piece-rate system for sewing posts, stipulating that employees will work in shifts and receive 20 yuan for each piece of salary. They face the machine and do simple and repetitive work every day.
? Mr. Zhang said that the boss said that the piecework wage system was implemented to "stimulate the enthusiasm of employees and promote them to improve their technical level and labor proficiency, thus improving labor productivity." But in fact, the labor quota set by enterprises is very high. Even an agile worker can't complete the labor quota in 8 hours. "If I can't meet the labor quota, I can only take the basic salary of 900 yuan." In order to earn more money to make a living, and to continue working in the factory, Mr. Zhang has only one choice: "If you don't work overtime, you won't even be able to finish the prescribed indicators, and your salary will be 10% off next month ..." Speaking of this, he is particularly sad.
? Although the behavior of enterprises in disguised form to extend working hours and lower labor costs made workers complain, Mr. Zhang accepted overtime "voluntarily" for the sake of livelihood. When there are many orders, he and his workmates even work as long as 16 hours a day, with no rest time at all.
? Instructions from four leaders: I dare not say no to overtime requirements.
? Miss Ruan is a "novice in the workplace" and has just set foot on her job. As an assistant manager in the purchasing department of a store, she works overtime for an average of 5 to 8 hours a week. "I expected this scene from the first day I chose this road, because my boss is a complete workaholic and often works overtime."
The elders at home often warn Miss Ruan that "young people should be able to bear hardships". Many seniors also revealed to her that the manager thinks that an employee often works overtime, which is a performance of dedication. Employees who "work tirelessly" and "forget to eat and sleep" are often encouraged and praised as role models. "I don't get off work until the manager tells me to go back or he gets off work." Although the manager will calculate overtime pay for her according to law, Miss Ruan still doesn't want to work overtime, but because she is a newcomer, it's hard to say much.
? Recently, the purchasing department received a big order, which made Miss Ruan more "stressed": the manager had more reason to ask us to work overtime, and everyone agreed to work overtime. Even if I don't want to, I dare not jump out and say no!
? Journalist investigation
? Working overtime for a long time is a double test of body and mind.
? Perhaps, no one knows whether those endless overtime hours are voluntary or forced by office workers. However, working overtime for a long time does have a great influence on the physical condition and psychological state of people in the workplace.
? "Stomach trouble is a common problem among members of our group," Mr. Chen said. Irregular diet has made many employees' gastrointestinal condition not very good. The medicines for treating stomach diseases are basically in the office. Every colleague has a copy. In addition, cervical spondylosis and mouse hand are also common workplace diseases of these people.
? In recent years, news of karoshi has occurred from time to time, and the word "karoshi" is often mentioned in the mouths of relatives and friends of Mr. Chen. In this regard, he also has his own ideas. "We all know that this is very bad for our health. But we also know that this should not be our working state for a lifetime. " In Mr. Chen's view, today's efforts are nothing more than an overdraft of youth in exchange for a better future.
? In addition to the deterioration of physical condition, working overtime for a long time also has a lot of influence on the psychological state of office workers. Miss Liu told reporters that in recent days, she often has headaches and drowsiness during the day, but she often suffers from insomnia at night, and her work efficiency has fallen instead of rising. I went to the hospital for examination and found nothing wrong. "Maybe it's just psychological pressure. You need to relax. "
? Having said that, Miss Liu doesn't have any time for exercise or leisure on weekdays. My schedule is almost full of work. Seeing that many of her peers are married and have children, Miss Liu has no mind to think about getting married.
? Working overtime, administrative orders are not negotiated.
? Article 41 of China's "Labor Law" clearly stipulates: "The employer may extend the working hours after consultation with the trade unions and laborers due to the needs of production and operation." However, judging from the reporter's investigation, the reality is that this provision has almost become a dead letter in actual operation.
? Miss Liu was unusually calm when she heard this rule: "We are all working. How does the boss discuss things with us? Besides, there is no need to discuss overtime. We just make a little money instead of overtime pay. I'm afraid my boss won't let me work overtime and give me 1000 yuan more, so I can't explain it to my family! "
? Mr. Zhang was extremely surprised: "There is still this rule, but in our small factory, there are only a few people and there is no trade union. Who should we consult? At that time, when setting work indicators, some people said what process to go through. The result is not what the boss said. This rule is probably useless in our small factory. I don't know if the boss knows that there is a problem with this regulation. "
? "consulting? How is it possible! " Miss Ruan smiled at this. "Unless I don't want to hang out in the company." She told reporters that although many colleagues secretly complained about working too much overtime, no one mentioned it publicly, because everyone knows the attitude of leaders: do it if you want, or leave if you don't want to. Are you afraid that no one can do it these days? Therefore, despite the idea of working overtime, Miss Ruan and her colleagues can only continue to submit to humiliation.
? expert opinion/advice
? Qiu Jie, East China Normal University
? Judging from the establishment of modern labor law, it can be said that it began with the legislation of working hours system, and the change of working hours system has been accompanied by the development of labor law. The British 1802 Apprenticeship Health and Ethics Act is generally regarded as the starting point of modern labor law, which stipulates that the working hours of child workers should not exceed 12 hours a day. Since then, driven by the long-term labor movement, the 10-hour working hours law and the factory law have gradually covered all workers with the 65,438+00-hour working system. On May 1886 and 1 Sunday, hundreds of thousands of Chicago workers went on strike for an eight-hour working day, which is the origin of today's "May 1 International Labor Day".
? The reason why the working hours system plays an important role in labor legislation is that the length of working hours is directly related to the life and health of workers. Historically, the long working hours of workers have always been an important factor leading to the shortening of the overall life span of human beings. What changes with working hours is rest and vacation. Long working hours lead to insufficient rest time, which leads to difficulties in the reproduction and redevelopment of human resources and affects the sustainable development of society. Marx once put forward the famous slogan of "8 hours of work, 8 hours of free control and 8 hours of rest". The overtime pay system and the regulations on overtime in the Labor Law are also formulated to limit the long working hours and affect the health of employees. But the reality is that many enterprises arbitrarily extend the working hours of employees under the banner of irregular working hours. The provisions on labor quota in the piecework system must be scientific and reasonable, which most employees can bear and have not been put in place. Recently, we are soliciting opinions on the Regulations on the Administration of Special Working Hours, hoping that the regulations will be more detailed and effective when they are formally implemented.
? Qiao Jian, Institute of Labor Relations.
? There are two kinds of overtime work, one is straightforward, and it is clear that you will continue to work after work without the consent of employees; There is also a disguised form, saying that it is a reform of the working hours system, but the labor quota has increased, forcing you to "voluntarily" work overtime if you can't finish it on time. Enterprises do not act in accordance with the law in dealing with issues involving the vital interests of workers, ignore the existence of trade unions, and even many enterprises have not established their own trade unions at all, which has aggravated the weak position of workers in labor relations to some extent. The most direct way to solve this problem is to let industrial trade unions play their role when grass-roots trade unions can't play their role.
? In foreign countries, trade union organizations in many countries exist as trade or industrial trade union organizations. The German Federation of Trade Unions has a 16 industrial trade union, which can participate in discussing or formulating labor standards, work quotas and industrial policies under the conditions of market economy. In fact, if many labor problems are solved through industrial trade unions, they can be dealt with in time and the administrative costs of the government can be reduced. Whether it is industrial policies, internal labor standards or work quotas, as long as our industrial trade unions are strong enough, there will not be so many workers who can only submit to humiliation and reach an agreement on behalf of employees through collective negotiation. The role of industrial trade unions is to divide the interests of employers and employees fairly from the standpoint of the third party and promote a win-win situation, which is an effective model to solve the contradiction between employers and employees.
? Advice from others
? In Europe, it is not allowed to ask employees to overfulfil tasks, because if you overfulfil, it will reduce the employment opportunities of others, and enterprises are not allowed to dismiss employees on the grounds of inefficiency, otherwise it will be considered illegal; It is not allowed to encourage employees to work overtime, otherwise the state will pay for your medical treatment and so on.
? In Germany, the legal working day does not exceed 8 hours (48 hours per week), but in fact, the result of labor-management consultation is far shorter than the legal working hour standard; The 40-hour working system is implemented for printing and hardware system, which has been shortened to 35-hour working system since 1995.
? According to the American Institute of Occupational Health and Safety, if the job requirements exceed one's ability, there will be problems. The Institute and the American Psychological Association suggest that the company take measures to reduce the work pressure, including ensuring that the workload conforms to the ability of employees, clarifying the tasks and responsibilities of employees, and making a reasonable schedule for work and rest.
? According to the fair labor standards act, an employer who, in violation of the provisions of this law, extends the working hours beyond the legal length without authorization shall be fined up to 1 10,000 USD or imprisoned up to 6 months, or both.
? Japan also stipulates that employers who violate the statutory working hours system can be punished with hard labor for less than six months and a fine of less than 5,000 yen.
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