30% of civil servants blame long working hours for lack of family time

A survey has discovered that 30% of local civil servants believe long working hours are to blame for reduced family time.

The Macau Civil Servants Federation and Macao Chinese Civil Servants Association co-conducted this survey, which received 1,364 valid responses, according to local media All About Macau.

The findings indicate that 30% of respondents found it difficult to care for their family due to long working hours, while 40% complained that work was too tiring and that they could not perform much housework.

15% of respondents have served in their positions for fewer than five years, 27% for five to 10 years, 37% for 11 to 20 years, and 21% for over 20 years. 2% of respondents had completed only primary school, 12% had completed up to junior or senior high school, 60% had attained a licentiate or bachelor’s degree, and 26% had completed Master’s degree or higher.

By career level, 33.2% of respondents were technical assistants, 18.4% were technicians, 20.7% were senior technicians, and 4.2% were in managerial positions. By branch of government, 21.9% of respondents worked in Administrative and Justice, 22.4% worked in Economy and Finance, 8.1% in Security, 30.4% in Social Affairs and Culture, and 15.1% in Transport and Public Works. Slightly over 2% directly reported to the Chief Executive.

Of all respondents, 15% reported that family issues had impacted their concentration at work; and the same number reported that heavy housework impacted their work.

On extended work hours, 47% reported working remotely and outside standard work hours for at least an hour on average, which had consequences on completing household responsibilities. However, some respondents preferred remote work as it provided more flexibility.

In response to the findings, the two organizations proposed adjustments such as permitting impromptu absence due to family issues without requiring compensatory working hours, and providing training on work-life balance.