Less coffee no solution to overwork 别再工作过度！

One of the pleasant aspects of my new lifein Beijing has been rediscovering what it's like to have a lunch break. A wholehour and a half in the middle of a work day to do with whatever I want. That'senough time to meet friends and have an actual sit down lunch. At my old job inAustralia,the most common sit down lunches I had were at my desk. Here, you can go for awalk or the gym (depending on pollution), or be productive and get some choresdone. Some of my colleagues even take a nap.

I've never had such a good work lifebalance so it came as a shock to read that this is not the case for many people in China. Young people especially are literally working themselves intoan early grave. CCTV reported a recent case of a 24-year-old engineer believedto have died from overwork. While the overtime problem was news to me, itdidn't take much digging to see pressure on workers to remain at their desksway past their 8 hours is up has been building for some time. Even those thatclock off on time are only a phone call or email away thanks to the internetand mobile phones. 

In 2014, it was estimated that 600,000Chinese die from working too hard each year. Although it's hard to pin downexactly what fatal conditions count towards that, it's an alarming figure. Theresponse to some extreme cases of overtime on social media suggests many stressedout, tired workers don't find it too hard to believe.

Overtime in short bursts is not a badthing. It gives companies the flexibility to cope with particularly busy timesor short term issues. The problem is when the increased workload  becomes the norm.

So what can be done about it? One storyabout this issue, referred to advice on sina.com.cn suggesting people managefatigue by eating more fruit and vegetables, avoiding coffee, exercising andtaking a shower. While those tips are fine for leading a generally healthierand hygienic lifestyle, less caffeine and snacks is not going to be much helpto people chained to their desk.

There's really only one solution. Lesshours. We can convince someone to go home when they are desperate to impress theirsuperiors, or fear being labeled a slacker if they don't work round the clock,depends more on their colleagues than the boss. No one wants to be the firstout the door, but if everyone in a division or team jointly decides not to stayback all hours, no one can be singled out.

That is, of course, easier said than done. Excessiveovertime is broader than just a workplace culture. Several academics havepointed to a Chinese belief in total dedication, combined with pressure tocontribute to the nation's ever increasing global business might. Adjustingthat mindset to allow for a better work life balance will be much harder thanchanging workers' diets.