Many people work long hours, leaving very little time for leisure activities. Does this situation have more advantages or more disadvantages?

Numerous individuals
work
long
hours
, leaving not much time for leisure activities.
Although
this
can help in their career, I believe that there are more drawbacks because it negatively impacts their health. The main reason people
work
extra
hours
is to gain promotion. In many jobs, an employee is in competition with their colleagues, and those who achieve the greatest productivity are likely most likely to be promoted.
For example
, Elon Musk demands that his employees at Tesla and Space X
work
seven days a week, and those that cannot maintain that pace are very unlikely to remain with the company.
However
, I believe that any promotion earned will be short-lived as working in
this
way in not sustainable. The disadvantage is that working very arduous
hours
can be detrimental to a person's well being.
This
is because, without time to unwind, stress from
work
increases and affects both an individual's physical and mental health.
For example
, many lawyers leave their profession well before retirement because of the negative implications of being expected to
work
more than 80
hours
per week. As maintaining a healthy body and mind is so important for human beings, I am of my opinion that working long
hours
has too many disadvantages. In conclusion,
although
it might be tempting to make career advancement the number one by working extra
hours
, one must consider the sustainability of
such
an approach due to the increased likelihood of poor wellbeing. For these reasons, the negatives far outnumber these positives.
Submitted by IELTS on

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Answer the 'Advantages and Disadvantages' topic

IELTS advantages and disadvantages questions normally give you a statement and ask you to comment on the advantages and disadvantages of that statement.

Answer structure for the type of essay

  • Introduction
  • Body paragraph 1 – advantages
  • Body paragraph 2 – disadvantages
  • Conclusion

Examples to start your body paragraph:

  • The main advantage is...
  • The disadvantage of this...
  • The main benefit...
  • Despite these advantages...
  • One possible drawback...

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Topic Vocabulary:
  • work-life balance
  • mental well-being
  • burnout
  • stress relief
  • productivity
  • economic growth
  • career progression
  • skill enhancement
  • quality time
  • financial security
  • leisure activities
  • physical health
  • personal relationships
  • stress-related illnesses
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