Dominion Post Column - 3rd August
He's Happier At Work
A graduate some seven years ago, my career commenced a continuum of indoctrination of the indefinable concept of “work life balance”. In many instances it only adds to the stress. We read articles from the modern day euphemism for “union representative” that is the Human Resource Consultant and wonder whether we are missing out on something. For example “George works 55 hours a week in a senior managerial position and finds time for his happy family, dog and his closest male friends”, “Sally works flexi-time and finds time for her new baby, ageing parents and beloved husband”. George and Sally of course do not exist in real life. Their employers are fictitious. The neo Unionists ruminating from the meddling Human Resources Departments want you all to believe it so like lemmings you drop your productivity and become like everyone else so they do not have to work as hard.
In general New Zealanders work far too hard. They are at work far too long and the important thing, they produce far too much. Any young New Zealander on an OE will tell you that they had to work the hardest in New Zealand. The average Chinese worker appears diligent and intelligent. They stare at the computer and stay at work until 10pm on most nights. Here though is the great secret to unlocking the psyche of an Asian worker, they are only working those hours because they have a 600 square foot flat they shared with 6 people to go home to. Their productivity is no better than the average New Zealand worker who leaves at 6pm. Asians have more usable square footage in their work cubicle than at home. Working long hours is status and there is competition to see who can stay longest as it means you are more important than those who go home early. In reality the early finishers simply have a nicer place to live.
So what is the excuse for the New Zealand worker staying past the very reasonable finishing hour of 6pm? Could it be the same? Could workers up and down New Zealand be staying past 6pm every night simply because they want to avoid the hassle of going home? Are New Zealanders becoming a nation of avoiders? Adding weight to this argument is that a recent study showed 37% of New Zealand workers often work extra hours without any extra pay. This defies common sense.
Unless your spouse is in a very important position, such as a very senior lawyer cutting worldwide time sensitive deals that require working varied hours or a CEO of a major company, there is no real excuse for working silly hours on a continuous basis. If your spouse is working those hours you must investigate whether they are truly this important, lacking intellectual ability to actually cope with the work during normal working hours, a control freak with an inability to delegate or are they “working to avoid”. Because if they are working to avoid then it is you they are avoiding.
The expatriate community is full of those who work to avoid. They earn vast sums of money in comparison to their home lands. The wives buy the work life imbalance on these grounds. They come with the mindset that in order to be an expatriate wife, you have a higher chance of making love to the credit card than you do with your husband as he is never there. These women make the choice that they prefer seeing money than men.
After a while the novelty wears off and the wife realises what she is, a solo mother with a maid for companionship and a credit facility. That’s all. The genuine wives up and leave as they cannot take the lifestyle any longer. The less than genuine wives stay. When the husband does make it home he is tired and uncommunicative. It is tough working all day with people spread all over the globe but tougher to come home to an unappreciative family environment. So the expatriate wife starts immediately as he walks in the door, whingeing about his working hours. Do not feel sorry for her as she knows the drill. She does not perform theatrics like this because she misses the husband and wants him to stay home more, she is doing this to guilt trip him into buying her more things. And he does.
It is a cycle I am seeing more of in New Zealand. Wives are reading this work life balance rubbish and wondering why their husbands cannot make more time for them like “George” does. I cannot be as cynical with the New Zealand resident wife as her feelings are more genuine than the expatriate wife.
Problem is that the answer is obvious. There is no work life balance problem in New Zealand. The husband is choosing to stay at work or entertain clients (who in a lot of cases are his best friends) simply because he wants to. He would rather work than be at home. The problem in New Zealand is not work life balance, it is the quality of the relationships we have in the life part that is making us choose to stay at work.
Bet they don’t mention this in the Human Resources indoctrination.
A graduate some seven years ago, my career commenced a continuum of indoctrination of the indefinable concept of “work life balance”. In many instances it only adds to the stress. We read articles from the modern day euphemism for “union representative” that is the Human Resource Consultant and wonder whether we are missing out on something. For example “George works 55 hours a week in a senior managerial position and finds time for his happy family, dog and his closest male friends”, “Sally works flexi-time and finds time for her new baby, ageing parents and beloved husband”. George and Sally of course do not exist in real life. Their employers are fictitious. The neo Unionists ruminating from the meddling Human Resources Departments want you all to believe it so like lemmings you drop your productivity and become like everyone else so they do not have to work as hard.
In general New Zealanders work far too hard. They are at work far too long and the important thing, they produce far too much. Any young New Zealander on an OE will tell you that they had to work the hardest in New Zealand. The average Chinese worker appears diligent and intelligent. They stare at the computer and stay at work until 10pm on most nights. Here though is the great secret to unlocking the psyche of an Asian worker, they are only working those hours because they have a 600 square foot flat they shared with 6 people to go home to. Their productivity is no better than the average New Zealand worker who leaves at 6pm. Asians have more usable square footage in their work cubicle than at home. Working long hours is status and there is competition to see who can stay longest as it means you are more important than those who go home early. In reality the early finishers simply have a nicer place to live.
So what is the excuse for the New Zealand worker staying past the very reasonable finishing hour of 6pm? Could it be the same? Could workers up and down New Zealand be staying past 6pm every night simply because they want to avoid the hassle of going home? Are New Zealanders becoming a nation of avoiders? Adding weight to this argument is that a recent study showed 37% of New Zealand workers often work extra hours without any extra pay. This defies common sense.
Unless your spouse is in a very important position, such as a very senior lawyer cutting worldwide time sensitive deals that require working varied hours or a CEO of a major company, there is no real excuse for working silly hours on a continuous basis. If your spouse is working those hours you must investigate whether they are truly this important, lacking intellectual ability to actually cope with the work during normal working hours, a control freak with an inability to delegate or are they “working to avoid”. Because if they are working to avoid then it is you they are avoiding.
The expatriate community is full of those who work to avoid. They earn vast sums of money in comparison to their home lands. The wives buy the work life imbalance on these grounds. They come with the mindset that in order to be an expatriate wife, you have a higher chance of making love to the credit card than you do with your husband as he is never there. These women make the choice that they prefer seeing money than men.
After a while the novelty wears off and the wife realises what she is, a solo mother with a maid for companionship and a credit facility. That’s all. The genuine wives up and leave as they cannot take the lifestyle any longer. The less than genuine wives stay. When the husband does make it home he is tired and uncommunicative. It is tough working all day with people spread all over the globe but tougher to come home to an unappreciative family environment. So the expatriate wife starts immediately as he walks in the door, whingeing about his working hours. Do not feel sorry for her as she knows the drill. She does not perform theatrics like this because she misses the husband and wants him to stay home more, she is doing this to guilt trip him into buying her more things. And he does.
It is a cycle I am seeing more of in New Zealand. Wives are reading this work life balance rubbish and wondering why their husbands cannot make more time for them like “George” does. I cannot be as cynical with the New Zealand resident wife as her feelings are more genuine than the expatriate wife.
Problem is that the answer is obvious. There is no work life balance problem in New Zealand. The husband is choosing to stay at work or entertain clients (who in a lot of cases are his best friends) simply because he wants to. He would rather work than be at home. The problem in New Zealand is not work life balance, it is the quality of the relationships we have in the life part that is making us choose to stay at work.
Bet they don’t mention this in the Human Resources indoctrination.
posted by Cactus Kate at 2:29 AM
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