Hello Good People,
After few inspiring and joyful session discussions, TIiA has worked out the following letter to the editor of The China Post in response to their previous article ‘48.8% of male employees overweight: survey’ dated on 5th November 2010.
NB: Full article is available at http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national-news/2010/11/05/278731/488-of.htm
If you find yourself sharing the same ideas with us, welcome to tell us your names by directly adding comments under this post by 7 April 2011, please. We will put your names under Lynn's in the letter! Thanks a lot for your participation in advance!!
Overweight and Overtime: Is there a connection? We think so.
We are an English study group in Taipei focusing on issues related to Taiwan. The majority of us regularly work overtime, some of us for no extra pay. Some of us receive pressure from our bosses to not apply for overtime pay; in one case, the company's system for overtime pay does not cover all staff. As highlighted in 中國時報 newspaper on 5 March 2011 (學者：責任制遭曲解 惡性循環), the company gets around the law by classifying some staff as "responsibility-based" and thus, they must finish all their work to get paid, no matter how long it takes.
When we read in The China Post (5 Nov 2010: 48.8% of male employees overweight: survey) that the government has decided to encourage companies to hold weight-losing contests to combat the recent growth in numbers of overweight Taiwanese young men, we had several reactions:
- This is not complete nonsense. It’s good if companies encourage their employees to have better habits, such as exercising regularly and having healthy diets.
- However, we know someone whose company tried to help staff lose weight by holding a 2-month losing-weight competition. After the competition, most people regained all the weight lost! Anyway, being skinny is not equivalent to eating healthily.
- Long working hours lead to unhealthy eating habits. If companies are really concerned about overweight employees, perhaps it’s a good idea for management to encourage staff to work fewer hours.
- We should not regularly work overtime because it's unhealthy. Many employees lose their health because of working overtime.
So, while weight-losing contests MAY be one way to promote the health and well-being of company employees, the root cause of the problem needs to be addressed. We would like to see the government push more companies to follow the spirit of recent labor legislation calling for greater work-life balance. People who work hard 40 hours a week should not feel pressured to work overtime day after day, week after week. This only results in citizens who have to use the public health system more than they should…and who have no time to enjoy taxpayer-funded resources such as sports centers, bike paths, museums, art galleries, etc. It’s not fair! People need a life outside of work! Work-life balance can lead to greater work productivity and more creative, productive citizens. Perhaps it's a good idea for managers to encourage staff to work fewer hours. If companies do not realize this, the government needs to act on behalf of people.
TAIWAN ISSUES in ACTION Study Group, Taipei
Lynn Conant
