Photo:Courtesy of Chen Hengrui

     

With the rapid development of Chinese IT industry, the 996 work schedule is widely used by many Internet companies. People's viewpoints do vary with regard to this "overtime culture". As a Chinese citizen as well as a student, I'd like to express my own ideas.

Every coin has two sides. Although many employees who are working on this schedule may complain, I can still understand why so many IT companies adopt such a policy. As we all know, we are in an information era when every country in the world spares no efforts to develop the IT industry. China has secured constant technological improvements and innovations. Among them, the IT industry is the one with the greatest competitive edge. Therefore, sufficient working hours, from the perspective of employers, are seemingly feasible to achieve desirable outcomes in the workplace. But I don't think it's a proper way. Firstly, overtime work has a bad effect on employees' health, especially those excessively glued to a screen. Secondly, such long working hours may hinder work efficiency, because longer exposure to screen may bring about both physical and mental fatigue. Additionally, every employee has the right to rest. If they are forced to work overtime, they may lose their enthusiasm for their work.

To help the adults solve these problems, I intend to recommend several solutions. To start with, employees should be empowered to express their own opinion towards the 996 work schedule, collectively figuring out an acceptable way to gain profit without working overtime. Secondly, companies should generously budget money on recruiting new employees, thus lowering the workloads shouldered on each individual employee. 

As for me, I would like take a job with moderate working hours. The most important reason is that increasing the time spent on the workplace seemingly has not much connection with improving productivity and profitability. Conversely, I prefer to use a different way to improve work efficiency,so that both company and I can get the maximum benefit.

In summary, which schedule has been adopted in the workplace is not a big matter, and what virtually counts is that whether we can make the most of our expertise and intellectual skills to improve the efficiency in the workplace, and this, in my opinion, is a feasible way to ensure the country to function well and ultimately prosper. 

Teacher: Ma Yulian
Laizhou No.1 Middle School