Ministry of Manpower Protect employees by legislating need for rest outside working hours
I find the habit of bosses sending after-hours messages and saying they do not expect anyone to reply immediately is just an excuse to cover up the exploitation of workers (Work-life balance: Practical ideas and a template to tackle those after-work messages, Sept 25).

Many bosses do not seem to respect the privacy and protected time of their employees after office hours just because the employees are working from home.

They e-mail, text or call the subordinates at night, on weekends and even during public holidays. Often, these calls are about trivial matters that could be settled the next working day.

Also, when an employee falls ill and is given medical leave, their superiors often wrongly assume they can carry on working from home.

This is far from the truth. In medicine, rest is part of the management of many diseases.

The authorities should protect the health of workers by legislating this need for rest. Many First World countries have similar laws. Bosses, managers and supervisors who are guilty of not giving employees enough rest should be punished.

Stress at work is a common cause of mental stress. Tasks and projects given after office hours or while employees are on medical leave can adversely affect the employee's mental health.

The workers often have no choice but to keep silent to safeguard their jobs.

The pandemic is stressful enough. We should take a firm stand against this abuse of workers.

Working beyond office hours deprives workers of their rest. Family life is disrupted. Productivity will fall. It is a vicious circle.

In the long run, the health of the entire nation will be compromised and we will all pay a heavy price.

I suggest that the civil service, as the country's largest employer, lead by example.

Give employees what is rightfully theirs - the rest they need.

Leong Choon Kit (Dr)

Source: https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-protect-employees-by-legislating-need-for-rest-outside-working-hours

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