TOPIC: ( 1st grade 2011-2 )

 

Is too much emphasis put on work in modern society?

 

POINTS:

[ essay 1 ]

 

Work is an essential part of our daily life. Needless to say, most of us cannot lead a happy life without it. In modern society, however, work seems emphasized so much that we tend to put quality of our lives into jeopardy without realizing it.

 

The first factor to substantiate the claim is changing business culture. In this day of globalization, an increasing number of companies, especially multinational corporations, prioritize work performance over seniority. This means employees are forced to work even harder until they meet the increasing demand. As a result, many of them have no choice but to sacrifice time with the family, putting family relations at risk.

 

Working in such a business culture also leads to health problems. With increasing workload, employees today are expected to work longer hours than ever before, which causes sleep deprivation or serious illnesses. "Death from overwork" has been coined in the middle of today's fierce competition.

 

Furthermore, changing work ethic in modern society has forced many employees to work on a temporary basis. Companies today tend to focus only on profits, thereby taking advantage of cheap labor. This leads to high turnover of employment, and such unstable job conditions discourage people from having babies, which eventually contribute to low birth rates in the developed world.

 

In conclusion, we need to work hard for a better life, but we must bear in mind that work shouldn't be valued over family relations and health, and don't forget many people sacrifice their lives by working too much.

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

 

[ essay 2 ]

 

Everybody has to work hard to earn money, so that they can buy things and live a comfortable life. The problem is that many people put too much emphasis on work at the risk of their health and often sacrifice time with their families.

 

In this age of the global competition, an increasing number of companies are starting to adopt the performance-based wage system, putting great emphasis on profits to remain competitive on this global market. As a result, many employees feel forced to work long hours with few days off so as to keep up with other co-workers.

 

Along with changing business culture, many people today work too much and spend too little time with their families. Close family relations are very important especially when they have little children. It is a statistical fact that children sharing little time with their parents are more likely to show agressive behavior later in life. Also, spending little time with a family is one of the biggest causes of divorce.

 

Furthermore, people must realize that working too much is detrimental to health and ends up with an unhappy life. Stress they get to feel in the workplace can cause nemerous sicknesses, such as depression, heart attack, or cancer. Also, the suicide rate is relatively high in countries where people work too much.

 

Needless to say, we all have to work, but we should remember working too much can adversely affect health and cause a lot of problems in their lives.