Is it advisable to work overtime continuously?
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Recently, the plants had to be shut down for emergency repairs; it was a situation requiring quick action and dealing with a lot of work. This year, there has been a high turnover of technical staff, and not many people are familiar with how these plants operate. Everyone shows a spirit of dedication – the company’s vice president takes the lead, as do the supervisors of various workshops – and they all stay at the plants, working tirelessly for two days in a row. But after that, many people run out of strength, and some even fall ill. Yet, seeing that the leaders remain on duty, they can’t leave either. I wonder how it’s possible to get enough sleep after working like this for several days, while still ensuring accurate and timely supervision of production Courage and dedication are commendable, but acting without a scientific approach can lead to mistakes; moreover, when greed and competition are involved, things may get even worse. I wonder if that’s the case in your organization as well? Share your opinion!
It’s true that the team needs to work overtime; people can understand the need for dedication. What’s a concern, though, is having to attend meetings while working overtime when there’s no actual work to do:@
Major overhauls of chemical plants involve racing against time, with the machines kept running while the workers take breaks. But it’s also necessary to balance work and rest; a few foldable beds can be placed in the office to allow for a short break from time to time. Additionally, logistical support must keep up, and nutrition needs to be improved.
Major overhauls of chemical plants do often require overtime, but if what you mean is continuous overtime, it can only be said that the work schedule is unreasonable. A reasonable work arrangement can help speed up the maintenance process; it is not necessary to work overtime constantly
In foreign companies like ours, this kind of situation basically doesn’t exist, because overtime work comes with overtime pay, and our company generally does not encourage overtime； It's okay to work overtime occasionally ； From a legal perspective, working more than 36 hours per week is illegal ； If someone files a complaint regarding the risk of administrative penalties ； Our company once had a situation where employees worked more than 36 hours per week (with overtime pay provided), but they filed complaints; the labor authorities came to conduct an inspection and issued a severe warning to us ； Moreover, people who work overtime continuously and are in a state of fatigue are highly likely to experience safety accidents ；
Major overhauls of chemical plants are characterized by short maintenance periods, a large number of tasks to be carried out, wide-ranging impacts, frequent unexpected situations, and a complex safety landscape. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare a comprehensive maintenance plan in advance, conduct multiple tabletop simulations before shutting down the system, consider the most pessimistic scenarios in advance and devise solutions for them, and incorporate these into the maintenance plan. At the same time, in accordance with the major maintenance plan, it is necessary to coordinate the design drawings, ensure the timely arrival of equipment and materials, arrange for emptying, replacement, and steam purging, coordinate the labor force and maintenance equipment provided by the maintenance companies, and ensure that production technicians and safety monitoring personnel are on site. During maintenance, the busier it gets, the more organized and methodical one must be, with everything carried out according to the maintenance plan.
It is certainly not advisable; not to mention the employees’ health, there are also safety issues.
For health reasons, working overtime continuously is not advisable, but sometimes project requirements necessitate occasional overtime, with proper balance needed.
That makes sense; reasonable work scheduling is possible in larger companies, but in small and medium-sized enterprises, it often depends on what the manager decides.
Yes, a single word from the leader can negate everything