[Essay Writing HW#8] Benefits of the 52-hour work week regulation for individuals, businesses and the country

In 2019, the Koeran government introduced a 52-hour work week limitation for business enterprises. The regulation began with larger entities which employ more than 500 people and will spread to smaller companies. Some people worry about the disadvantages of the regulation such as the limitation of overtime compensation, the breach of freedom to work longer, and lower productivity. Despite the side effects of the working hour limitation, I believe it has positive effects for individuals, businesses and the nation.

At the individual level, workers can enjoy leisure time in the evenings. Korea is one of the top-ranked OECD countries in terms of working hours. Now, due to the 52-hour work week, office workers can restore their personal lives, which were lost while overstaying at the office. People now can have more leisure time with their families or for personal development. Increased leisure time will refresh people’s bodies and minds, while inducing a higher quality of life.

From businesses' enterprise perspective, the 52-hour work week law gives them a chance to save on human resource costs. Korean companies were famous for a weird tendency to work longer than necessary. Younger staff members were forced to start the day earlier than the normal time, and stay in the office until late, even when it was not necessary. It was the conventional way to respect senior staff members in the office. Due to this unproductive working culture, companies shoulder the burden of higher payroll costs in order to compensate workers for early and late working hours. Thanks to the new regulation, companies have a chance to break the inefficient convention, and are free from heavy overtime compensation.

From the perspective of the country, increased individual leisure and business productivity benefits long term competitiveness. As families have greater opportunities to take care of children, in a broad sense, the birth rate and level of children's education can improve. In economic words, quality of human resource will be enhanced in the next generation. When companies save on payroll costs, they can invest in more production facilities and research concerning future technology. Since long term productivity depends on technology and investment, it will benefit companies and keep the country competitive.

Some politicians argue that reduced working hours can be a hindrance for companies and the country. However, in the long term, the 52-hour regulation can be a bridge between individuals and improved in quality of life. Life satisfaction will benefit both companies and the country, as productivity ultimately affects individuals. In order to boost the effectiveness of the limitation on working hours, certainly some other policies should be implemented to support decreased personal income, as well as confusion among companies concerning application of the new law.