Dinner Allowance

[Steven878]

Well just have enough people employed, it is not about the quantity but the quality of work that is delivered. Here they say if the work load is too much the quality will suffer under it. An other aspect is that family time is also very important. Though Holland is a very small country they are fourth country in the world in export and have some well known companies like ING, Heineken, Unilever, Philips, Shell..

So it does work if you just work between like 35 and 40 hours a week. Just about planning.

And that's about the only thing that would make me think about moving back to Europe.

My only question is, if we were to work only 8 hours a day, how would all the work get done?

[hullexile]

I watched a programme about a company in the UK where management used to work 70 hours plus per week - evenings, all weekend. The new owner forced them to work a maximum of 40 hours per week. After some changes to working practices, no new staff and no drop in productivity. Some of the management long hours are just macho posturing - I am so important I must be here all the time. Another part is poor management - lack of trust in staff and lack of delegation.

[aussiegal]

What I wanted to point out was the her ideas about life outside IB are usually quite a bit out of touch with reality. Actually I'm quite sure that exactly those people working around the (proposed) minimum wage levels most likely have the longest hours. The guy making dim sum in the my estate is always there, whether I go there for breakfast or for a late snack. I'm not sure why they don't all just go to Australia to earn

Ha ER2 I know you have fun 'trying' to take apart every comment I make but you have completely misinterpreted my words. We are talking about officeworkers (as Mat graciously defended me) not the dim sum guy on your estate. Let's stick to comparing apples with apples. I do not know ONE person who works in an office and finishes at 6pm on a regular basis and believe me, the people I know are not all investment bankers. It is one of the things I dislike most about HK.

And as for saying that you wouldn't work for a company that didn't recognise any work you did before 9 I can't wait to see how long you last in the real world when you actually do get a job. Really, you need to rethink your career choice. No IB (your employer of choice you have admitted) is going to take someone with your attitude.

[aussiegal]

Well just have enough people employed, it is not about the quantity but the quality of work that is delivered. Here they say if the work load is too much the quality will suffer under it. An other aspect is that family time is also very important. Though Holland is a very small country they are fourth country in the world in export and have some well known companies like ING, Heineken, Unilever, Philips, Shell..

So it does work if you just work between like 35 and 40 hours a week. Just about planning.

I agree with all this and think it's a shame that more countries aren't as progressive as countries like Holland, Denmark etc. Priorities in HK are so different. You'll see it when you arrive. Here it really seems to be all about the money. Often both parents will work til late and young children will stay up til 11 just so they can have some time with their parents! It's crazy. And there doesn't seem to be that flexibility in the workforce or a belief (or perhaps understanding) that quality counts of quantity.

[jimbo]

I agree with all this and think it's a shame that more countries aren't as progressive as countries like Holland, Denmark etc. Priorities in HK are so different. You'll see it when you arrive. Here it really seems to be all about the money. Often both parents will work til late and young children will stay up til 11 just so they can have some time with their parents! It's crazy. And there doesn't seem to be that flexibility in the workforce or a belief (or perhaps understanding) that quality counts of quantity.

Totally agree with that, Work/Life Balance does not seem to exist here.

[hullexile]

I agree with all this and think it's a shame that more countries aren't as progressive as countries like Holland, Denmark etc. Priorities in HK are so different. You'll see it when you arrive. Here it really seems to be all about the money. Often both parents will work til late and young children will stay up til 11 just so they can have some time with their parents! It's crazy. And there doesn't seem to be that flexibility in the workforce or a belief (or perhaps understanding) that quality counts of quantity.

Yep, every word true. I couldn't believe it when the kids upstairs who are quite young were having their showers at 11pm or later.

[daveross]

Interesting that the keyword tags in this topic are peanuts and lawyers.

[PDLM]

I do not know ONE person who works in an office and finishes at 6pm on a regular basis and believe me, the people I know are not all investment bankers.

At both the (office-based) companies I have worked many people left round 6pm, the vast majority by 7pm. Most days there were even a few going at the official time of 5:30pm (which wasn't so common mainly because few people actually got in at the official start time of 9am - most arrived between 9:15 and 9:30, some even around 9:45).

[Fiona in HKG]

Fiona

that's why I refuse to have a corporate blackberry, if they want me to be contactable 24/7 then they can pay me an extra 200%, They of course won't do that thus they can shove it.
Posted via Mobile Device

I held out for two years, Jimbo!

Anyway I still give myself time off at the weekend, I glance at it now and then, if something looks urgent (might be a project at critical stage) I'll look, but more often than not I'll press Mark Unread and deal with it at work.

I know of some people who sleep with their BBs on their pillows and I think that's just so very sad and they tend to be the ones who create work because they think they'll be considered more important for some odd reason, if they send a totally non-urgent email in the wee hours of the morning.

I'm managing not to be ruled by the damn thing, in fact I often leave it at home at the weekend if I go out

[Swell]

I know of some people who sleep with their BBs on their pillows and I think that's just so very sad and they tend to be the ones who create work because they think they'll be considered more important for some odd reason, if they send a totally non-urgent email in the wee hours of the morning.

Yup, know what you mean. Guess most of us have received those meaningless reply to all emails simply saying "Let's discuss" when a precise question has been raised and necessitated only a simple yeah or neigh as response....

These people are also those who will turn their phone/blackberry on the minute the plane touches down, or MUST make a call or check their emails whilst waiting for the lift/car, etc. Sad.