Survey on \"overwork\" among office workers: Voluntary overtime goes unrecorded, making it difficult to classify it as an occupational injury

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Survey on the problem of \"overwork\" among office workers: Voluntary overtime goes unrecorded, making it difficult to classify it as an occupational injury. Source: China News Network. Added on: 2016-12-23 10:55:27. Views: 129. The claim that \"600,000 people die from overwork each year, making China the country with the highest number of such deaths\" has gone viral on the Internet. Although this fake news from three years ago was already debunked by the media, it still finds a market for dissemination when it reappears today. 600,000 deaths due to overwork per year – although this is a sensational false claim – the issue of overwork in Chinese workplaces has indeed become something that cannot be ignored in recent years. In 2013, reports claiming that \"600,000 people in China die from overwork each year\" appeared in the media, drawing attention, but these claims were immediately debunked. The reality is that a survey indicates that around 600,000 people in China die from sudden cardiac death each year; this figure was misreported in media reports as \"600,000 people dying from overwork each year.\" 3 years later, today, similar reports are once again going viral on the internet, sparking another wave of discussion among netizens. “Why do we have to discuss this every year?” Wei Haozheng, vice president of the Shanghai Talent Service Industry Association, explained to reporters. “Typical cases of death from overwork occur every year, and the core issue here is that **we currently lack both medical and legal mechanisms to provide an accurate definition of death from overwork. ”Wei Haozheng said. With an unclear definition of death from overwork, how can it be classified as a work-related injury? In recent discussions on death from overwork, some media outlets have suggested that such deaths should be classified as work-related injuries as soon as possible. According to Article 14 of the Regulations on Work-related Injury Insurance, if an employee contracts an occupational disease, it shall be recognized as a work-related injury. In response, Wei Haozheng told reporters, “We have very clear legal provisions and well-defined medical standards for identifying occupational diseases. However, there is no precise medical definition for death due to overwork; therefore, it is difficult to establish such a definition procedurally or legally, which is why death from overwork cannot be turned into a legal concept.” ”In accordance with Article 15 of the Regulations on Work-related Injury Insurance, if an employee dies suddenly from an illness while at work and at his or her workplace, or dies within 48 hours despite emergency treatment, it is regarded as a work-related injury. “Work-related death can somewhat relate to this regulation; a small portion of work-related deaths fall under this category. ”Wei Haozheng said that the vast majority of deaths from overwork are caused by the accumulation of physical strain, leading to a prolonged illness over time. “The definition of death from overwork cannot be resolved, and it is difficult to make progress in terms of legislation; this is why discussions continue, yet nothing changes. ”Wei Haozheng concluded. Employees of Internet technology companies who \"voluntarily work overtime\" – At present, when it comes to evaluating employees in Internet companies and technology firms, more emphasis is placed on work results and performance outcomes. Wei Haozheng gave an example, saying, “For instance, in a sales position, as long as you achieve the sales targets and meet the performance metrics, it doesn’t matter whether you spend eight hours a day or seventy or eighty hours per week; what matters is that you meet the performance goals set by the company.” ”In response, experienced labor arbitration officer Zuo Xiangqi said, \"There is a problem with China’s labor law. According to the current definition, everyone who works in a company is considered a worker, but this isn’t necessarily correct, as our labor law focuses on protecting manual workers, and it is difficult to cover mental workers, including company management personnel, at present.\" ”Wei Haozheng also believes that current laws do not make a distinction between mental and physical jobs. “This includes internet companies, securities firms, law firms, as well as those engaged in research and development or in the IT sector – these are all knowledge-based jobs that are primarily evaluated based on performance. This has led to a situation in which these companies encourage their employees to work overtime voluntarily, and our laws are somewhat inadequate in addressing this issue. ”He said. Voluntary overtime lacks legal protection. In the absence of clear medical and legal definitions for death due to overwork, how can employees protect their rights when working overtime in companies that use performance evaluations as a standard? Wei Haozheng, who has over 10 years of experience in labor law and human resources management, admits that it is difficult to safeguard one’s rights. ”Wei Haozheng explained, \"Firstly, such companies generally have lenient attendance policies; there are no records of overtime in the company’s attendance system or approval logs. Secondly, even if one requests permission from a supervisor for overtime work, that supervisor is unlikely to approve it. Therefore, it is very difficult to prove that overtime actually took place if one wants to pursue legal action or other means to protect one’s rights.\" ”From the perspective of employers and companies, Wei Haozheng suggests taking the initiative to enhance humanistic care for employees as well as provide them with commercial insurance benefits. “The portions that cannot be compensated through work-related injury insurance fall under the coverage of various commercial insurance policies. Additionally, it is necessary to ensure a balance in performance metrics; otherwise, in the event of an incident, whether it is a work-related injury or not, it will result in talent loss for the company and bring about many other problems. ”Wei Haozheng said.