Workaholics live for their work, often spending many extra hours at work, and often taking work home to complete. It’s fine to live in a work-hard culture, but when work becomes the only reason for a person’s existence above more important things (such as family and friends), the issue becomes critical. That’s the problem more and more Americans are faced with.
Americans are working more hours per week than in years past, and with many companies reducing employees, more and more workers are worried about their own jobs. Some studies show that as many as 40 percent of American workers don’t even bother to take vacations, partly because of fears they may not have a job to come back to if they do. Besides, it is obvious that part of the matter is financial. More and more people begin to define success in terms of financial measures. The higher one’s income is, the more respect one gets. Finally, people nowadays live and work in a connected environment—e-mails, instant messaging, fax machines, and cell phones—making it hard for them to truly get time away from their work, even when they are on holiday.
When work becomes the only reason for being— when it becomes the only thing people think about, the only thing that truly makes people happy, many Americans find that they are no longer close to their kids. Divorce rate jumps and serious stress-related health problems come up. Undoubtedly, it is time to do something.
To reduce workaholism, you must stay away from work once in a while. There are many ways to do that: Spend time with family and friends; Call home often to stay connected; Learn to say no to new assignments; Consider exercises to get your body back to a healthy shape; Fight the urge that everything you do must be perfect. It will take some effort, but for yourself and those you love, you really should make the effort. Have a try and you won’t regret it.
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Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. The “standard” retirement age varies from country to country, but it is generally between 50 and 70, according to the latest statistics, 2011. However, for a long time, people have got into an argument about whether the age of retirement should be increased or reduced in their own countries.
There are several arguments for allowing older people to continue working as long as they are able. Many people think that older employees have a large amount of knowledge and experience which can be lost to a business or organization if they are made to retire. Besides, older employees are often extremely faithful employees and are more willing to implement (执行) company policies than the young. A more important Point is regarding the attitudes in society to old people. To force someone to resign or retire at 60 or 65 indicates that the society does not value the input of these people and that practically their useful life is over.
Allowing old people to work indefinitely (无限地), however, is not always a good policy. Some people took the strong view that age alone is no guarantee of ability. Many young employees have more experience or skills than older staff, who may have been stuck in one area for most of their working lives. Having compulsory (强制性的) retirement allows new ideas in an organization. On the other hand, older people should be rewarded by society for their life’s labor by being given generous pensions (退休金) and the freedom to enjoy leisure. They can have time to do whatever they like, that is, they can have their own plans or roles and achieve their retirement goals.
With many young people unemployed or frustrated in low-level positions, there are often calls to compulsorily retire older workers. However, this can affect the older individual’s freedom—and right—to work. In my opinion, giving workers more choices over their retirement age will benefit both society and the individual.
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