英语课程计划-Work Your Proper Hours Day（在线收听）

Work Your Proper Hours Day is usually around February 22. It was started in 2005 by Britain’s organization of labour unions the Trade Union Congress (TUC). This is the day when a worker decides he or she has had enough of doing unpaid overtime. They decide that from Work Your Proper Hours Day, they will completely stop doing unpaid overtime and start using the time for themselves. The TUC website has a quiz so you can decide if you are working too many extra hours for no pay. It asks you if everyone you work with is also doing extra hours and whether you seem to get busier and busier every year. It also asks if you are worried that if you go home on time, your boss will think you’re slacking.

The TUC says nearly five million people in Britain do unpaid overtime on a regular basis. If they got paid for this, the average employee would earn an extra ￡4,955 (around $10,000) a year. Working too long each day is bad for us. It causes stress, messes up our social life and relationships, and can have negative effects on family life. It is also bad for business if staff are worn out. There are signs that campaigns against overworking are beginning to make a difference. Within the past five years, fewer people are doing unpaid overtime and the average amount of time has gone down by 24 minutes a week. Take the TUC’s advice – take a proper lunch break and go home on time.