The federal government has announced new timings for offices which include reduced working hours and a six-day working week. After being elected, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced to rescind the weekend Saturday off, leading to a strong reaction from government employees.
While the government has not succumbed to pressure and has stayed with its decision of one weekly off, it has reduced working hours to just seven per day and five on Friday. Public offices and all vital institutions such as banks will close at 3PM creating immense hardship for citizens receiving services later in the day.
The structure of the working week varies considerably for different professions and cultures. Traditional business hours are 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday to Friday, representing a workweek of five eight-hour days comprising 40 hours in total. These are the origin of the phrase 9-to-5, used to describe a rather conventional and tedious job but also career stability.
Many countries regulate the work week such as stipulating minimum daily rest periods, annual holidays, and a maximum number of working hours per week. Working time may vary depending on economic conditions, location, culture, lifestyle choice and profitability of the individual’s livelihood.
Most countries in the developed world have seen average hours worked decrease significantly. The actual time at work varies in practice due to breaks or overtime. In most European Union countries, working time is gradually decreasing and many are experimenting with the four-day work week.
Some studies argue that reduced work hours increase consumption and invigorate the economy while reducing the impact on environment. Others suggest it improves health, economy, save money on transportation and boosts productivity.
In developing countries, laws are seldom enforced and unpaid or underpaid overtime work is a common practice. Workers work long hours, leading to many deaths from overwork. For example, the Chinese have the 996 working house system where employees work from 9AM to 9PM, six days a week, which is cumbersome but welcomed by many companies.
Pakistan follows the standard international 40-hour working week. The prime minister’s decision will certainly draw mixed reactions. Employees will still be displeased after the weekend off is not restored but will have lower working hours. While the total number of hours will be the same, the transportation and fuel costs will remain high as they will commute for an extra hour. Thus, the government’s decision may not serve any real purpose but only create further discord within society.
