Keiko
Work life balance

Hi everyone,

I'd like to know about work life balance in your country.  

I'm originally from Tokyo, Japan.  Probably as you know, Japanese people is sort of workaholic.  My father he has been working until midnight everyday when I was a kid.  I wanted to play with him.  And maybe a lot of Japanese people has same problem that taking communication between pearents and their kids.  I soppose if I will be able to go back home early.  I will be able to talk a lot with my future kids.  

In sum,  I'm going to Australia for my future family because of the reason.  Is anyone has same thought?  Or disagree??  How about in your country??

Oct 8, 2016 6:50 AM
Comments · 12
1
At first I thought, why Australia?  But from your last comment I can see that you have actually experienced what life is like in Australian and found it to be a healthier lifestyle conducive to happier family life.  I think you are correct that the value of work is ¨overdone¨in Japan-- valued so highly by some people that it is not healthy or good for their relationships.  if you observed that the lifestyle in Australian is better and healthier, I think you should trust your judgment and not let anyone make you feel guilty for wanting to move.
October 11, 2016
1

Long working time would be bad for your health, but it is also very perverse to your life as well your family. Think about why you come to this world? and ask whether you are heading for the goal that you are really wishing for?  No body wants to be treated as a working machine without proper rest and many people I suppose want to have a more balanced life to enjoy their lives. 

You may consider moving to Australia where most of the people can more likely hold life and work at the same time, despite the small minority of people still have to work more than 8 hours for each day. However, it is not easy to find an eligible visa for you to work and live in Australia if you are not prepared well. 


But anyway, good luck to your plans. 

October 10, 2016
1
I prefer moderation in everything. There're must be times for work, others for family, and for ourselves. Cause at the end of the day, our life has not been made for work! Sometimes we just need to stop working and start focusing on other stuffs, even if they sound a bit silly, we must remember that they're not. My philosophy about this comes from knowing that I'm a human with BRAIN, BODY, and SOUL. And each one of these three main parts of me needs enough attention and care to stay balanced and successful, and to live this only life I have in the best way; as much as possible. So, the most important thing isn't about HOW MANY HOURS you can spend working in one day, it's about doing enough activities for each part of you, in order to stay healthy, positive, happier, and most of all BALANCED.
October 9, 2016
1
I am from the Netherlands, a nd here it is more or less quite common that people work part time if they have small children. Many men here have a day of in the week, which they call daddy day. But it depends on your situation also. I have alway put my daughter before my boss or the customer. And if my boss would have argued about that, I would have gotten another job.  But I am a highly demanded software engineer who could get a new job easily, so, it is easy for me to make that choice. If you have a job that is less in demand, maybe you cannot make that choice.
October 9, 2016
1

Here in England it's common for people to work very hard, for long hours. My dad worked 2 jobs until very late at night. I have done shift work for many years, sometimes finishing late and getting up very early. But it is supposed to be balanced out to a 40 hour week but I believe people work more. 

In London I believe it is worse as it is over-populated and the competition for jobs is quite intense, therefore people work longer hours to keep the job. This has an even more negative effect as this then drives wages down, so then people have to work EVEN LONGER to live. 

Recently in the news British people keep getting called 'lazy' but this is very untrue. The Government are rubbing their hands together with all the extra tax they receive with all the extra work being done, but peoples quality of life is going down rapidly and we aren't happy. We then get called lazy. 

One thing I certainly won't be saying when I am very old is that "I wish I had worked more" 

We arent put on this earth to work but we have to contribute. I believe having a healthy work/life balance is very important. 

October 9, 2016
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