Overworking in the US is a considerable problem that requires the immediate attention of the public. Moodie (2016) reports that Americans spend an excessive amount of time at work, which leads to significant physical and mental health implications. Over 30% of US citizens work more than 45 hours a week, which leads to anxiety, depression, family problems, and substance abuse (Moodie, 2016).
The primary reason for overworking in the US is the fear of financial instability, which leads to people “working overtime to prove their worth to their employer” (Moodie, 2016, para. 5). Education loans contribute to the problem since the national total student debt is over $1.5 trillion (Hoffower & Akhtar, 2019). Moreover, the cost of healthcare is also rising and reached almost 16% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2017 (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 2018). Since people feel pressured to pay their insurance cost and loan interest, they postpone their commitment to the family to stabilize financially.
The situation is completely different in Finland, where overworking is not an urgent matter. The primary reason for the issue is a well-balanced education system, which is considered among the best in the world (Wood, 2018). Higher education in Finland is publically funded, which means that it is free for those who proved themselves worthy (Wood, 2018). However, having a higher education is considered a privilege, and the citizens are not pressured to have one to get a prestigious job (Wood, 2018). Moreover, the majority of healthcare in the country is also free (“Health services in Finland,” n.d.).
At the same time, the Finnish legal system supports employers arranging flexible working hours to suit their employees (Hanni, 2019). However, making the education and the healthcare systems free may not work in the US due to the considerable cost and time needed for transformation. Additionally, states in the US have significant autonomy in terms of laws; therefore, promoting flexible working hours on the federal level is difficult. However, there are some changes that can improve the situation in the US.
The government can provide tax benefits for employers who help their employees acquire financial security. According to Moodie (2016), “employers should be doing more to protect staff from the psychological and physical effects of overwork” (para. 1). Employers can help their employees to pay off student loans, which would help the workers focus on family life and personal happiness. The government should also encourage employers to provide family health insurance plans to lower the anxiety of not being able to afford treatment and preventative care.
Moreover, the government may consider lowering the importance of higher education, similar to Finland. For instance, employers requiring their employees to have higher education should justify the necessity. Even though it is hard to achieve, it may help to address racial disparities of debt burdens and attitudes toward higher education.
References
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (2018). National health expenditures 2017 highlights. Web.
Health services in Finland. (n.d.). Web.
Hanni, M. (2019). Finland’s new working hours act – New tools for a new decade. Web.
Hoffower, H., & Akhtar, A. (2019). 11 mind-blowing facts that show just how dire the student-loan crisis in America is. Business Insider. Web.
Moodie, A. (2016). Why are Americans spending too much time at work?The Guardian. Web.
Wood, J. (2018). Why Finland’s higher education system is the best in the world. Culture Trip. Web.