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Longer weekend marred by disregard for annual leave
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In China, people are often on the lookout for things that are too good to be true. In practice, the government’s recent “flexitime” guidelines may fall into this category.
After weighing the pros and cons, the State Council, China’s cabinet, issued these guidelines which encourage adjustable work schedules for all Chinese employees. Specifically, the guidelines suggest that localities and companies with the means to do so should give their staff Friday afternoons off, thus paving the way for a two-and-a-half-day weekend.
The longer weekends would indeed be revolutionary if they become a reality.
In regard to the guidelines, the Beijing News recently ran a report quoting tourism experts as saying that the travel industry will likely benefit from a longer weekend. Experts have reportedly analyzed the potential gains thereof, as well as the impact on scenic spots and traffic.
The additional half-day would surely yield myriad benefits. Let’s face it: by Friday afternoon, many employees have already checked-out mentally from work and are just killing time until the end of the day.
Interestingly, these guidelines were released after prodding from national tourism agencies and officials, rather than from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, which oversees the national holiday schedule. This signals a growing eagerness to tap China’s burgeoning tourism market as a way to stimulate domestic consumption — now a major priority for economic policymakers.
Lukewarm response
Employees would naturally welcome a longer weekend. An extra half-day would indeed make it easier to escape the hustle and bustle of Shanghai on a weekend trip. My wife has asked me several times to take her on weekend trips to neighboring provinces. I occasionally turn down her proposals, citing a lack of time. With an extended weekend break on the horizon though, such excuses would be less convincing.
Nonetheless, many people have expressed mixed feelings about the guidelines. Some critics are already describing it as a “paper pie,” a metaphor for things unlikely to materialize. As they point out, many workers are still denied — or are forced to deny themselves — their legal right to annual leave.
Talk of extended weekends for a lucky few is surely like rubbing salt in the wounds of those who cannot take the time off which they are already entitled to. No wonder the general public response to these new guidelines has been so lukewarm.
In the same Beijing News report mentioned above, a survey conducted by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security is cited which indicates that of all employees entitled to paid leave, only half actually take it. Li Zhong, a spokesperson for the ministry, even admitted that some businesses still don’t take paid leave policies seriously, even seven years after their introduction.
With this general picture in mind, it seems inevitable that companies which deny their staff proper leave will also resist the recent proposal.
The longer weekend proposal is a definite step in the right direction. Flexible work regimes are a growing trend and should be broadly promoted. As long as employees work 40 hours a week and finish their assignments on time, they should be free to take Friday afternoon off. Instead of restraining their workers, wise company managers would do better to encourage their freedom.
According to official statistics, Chinese workers should have 115 days per year to themselves — including traditional festivals, recognized holidays, paid leave and weekends. This figure might look impressive, but actually it’s rather low compared with some developed countries.
During a three-month work placement with the German magazine GEO in 2012, I noticed, much to my surprise, that flexitime was the norm there. My German colleagues frequently took days off to attend to their own business. As long as their work was done and deadlines were met, this arrangement was tolerated — in fact, it was even encouraged as a way to cut costs. This experience changed my stereotypes about German companies as highly disciplined places.
According to a widely circulated post on WeChat, Germans work 187 days a year and have up to 178 days of time off. Outsiders would surely be amazed at how the Germans manage to keep their economy going — and apparently going well — and sustain the socioeconomic costs of providing top-notch welfare to the country’s population.
As I wrote these words, many of my former German colleagues are probably sunbathing on Italian beaches or fishing along the Cote d’Azur in Nice. China’s proposed two-and-a-half-day weekend marks a good start toward reforming the rigorous Monday-to-Friday, nine-to-six job regime.
Hopefully this proposal will also galvanize more company leaders to respect employees’ rights to time off. Otherwise, the longer weekend will be but another “paper pie” the government cannot deliver.
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