Go home before it’s too late

Time, they say, is money.

While it is common to want to maximise your time to make money, have you tried looking at it from a non-monetary sense?

We tend to stay in our little cubicles doing work long after the required daily working hours.

Why waste more time than necessary at work when it can be spent on much more valuable things such as family and friends?

Facebook’s chief operating officer (COO) Sheryl Sandberg leaves the office at 5.30pm every day to go home to her family.

“I walk out of this office every day at five-thirty, so I’m home for dinner with my kids at six,” she told Makers.com, a website that profiles successful American women.

Easier said than done, but this is still a positive philosophy that some in Singapore fail to appreciate.

Manager Steven Lim said that Ms Sandberg’s senior position allows her this luxury.

“It’s easy for her to (leave at 5.30 pm) since she’s probably rich and has many subordinates,” said the 29-year-old.

Others were more understanding, but acknowledged that it could be an individual preference that keeps Singaporeans in the office after official hours.

“It depends on them actually. Some may go home late because they love their work,” said Gamar Abdul Aziz, a lecturer at Singapore Polytechnic.

Recent findings have also shown that Singaporeans are ending work later than they are paid to.

According to a report by Yahoo! News in November last year, Singaporeans are working harder than ever with one in five clocking eleven or more hours daily. The report was based on a survey on working habits compiled by international business firm Regus.

Many feel that it is unhealthy and undesirable and believe that it is the competitive working environment that is keeping Singaporeans longer at work.

But employees sometimes stay after official work hours because of stigma, according to some.

Melissa Khabaria, a senior executive in the public sector, said she has worked in offices where the practice of leaving on time was frowned upon.

“This inculcates feelings of guilt and you tend to stay back longer. As you get into this habit, you tend to do more and more work towards the end of the day.

“There are also employers who believe in having meetings after office hours or asking one to do work after office hours,” said Mrs Khabaria, 27.

If the Regus survey was anything to go by, some people are beginning to neglect – or finding it hard to maintain – work-life balance. In some offices, that mantra has even been renamed “work-life integration”.

While dedication at work may give a boost to your financial health in the long run, more devotion to family, friends and leisure will yield a much more valuable return which wealth can never measure up.

One becomes much healthier mentally which in turn translates to better and more effective performances at work. Some companies have realised this and have a day in a week – usually a Friday – to allow staff to knock off earlier.

There is no doubt that Ms Sandberg’s approach deserves a larger following. But whether or not many here will follow it remains to be seen.

"Singaporeans tend to work harder than the rest of the world. We are smaller so we have more to prove," added 33-year-old Ben Loh, a public servant.

But with a powerhouse like Facebook’s COO leading the way, maybe it is time for Singaporeans to take heed and go home – before it’s too late.

ORIGINAL SOURCE
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