Some countries have introduced laws to limit working hours for employees. Why are these laws introduced? Do you think they are a positive or negative development?

Reducing employees' working hours can be quite a polarising subject. While the reasons for passing

this

into law can be associated with lobbying both from the side of trade unions and

employers

, I consider

this

a favourable trend preventing a possible violation of labour rights and enabling better work-life balance. 

This

topic is no stranger to controversy, given that a reduction in working hours carries different meanings for salaried employees and those paid an hourly rate. Not only would the former enjoy more personal time for themselves, but

also

their income would not drop, whereas the latter would obviously start to earn less. In

this

sense, the interests of both employees and

employers

can lie behind the introduction of

such

laws. Trade unions representing workers see in it the less likelihood of burnout and the lesser of two evils if the alternative is redundancy.

By contrast

,

employers

also

attempt to influence government officials on

this

matter to save on operating costs and payroll taxes.  Considering

this

decision cannot always benefit workers, it is of course far from a win-win situation.

Nonetheless

, I believe it to be a positive development. Most importantly, with less time spent at work the probability of unpaid overtime, frequently stemming from unnecessary extra workload,

also

decreases, as every working hour would be valued and correspondingly optimised by

employers

.

Furthermore

, a traditional six-day workweek fails, in my opinion, to be synonymous with high productivity, but with damaged mental health ,especially for those that are constantly exposed to workplace stress

such

as police, medical and service personnel. To reduce working hours,

therefore

, is to ensure that workers’ rights are not violated and to provide them with more opportunities to enjoy their personal life. In conclusion, one's work should not be the meaning, but simply part of their life.