Working Overtime Versus Taking Personal Time

A television reporter’s death is sparking new debate over too much overtime. Journalist Miwa Sado died in July, 2013 at the age of 31. She was working for Japan’s state-run television broadcast company. Her network is now sharing her story as a cautionary tale.

Officials say Sado clocked 159 extra hours that month while covering two elections. Investigators say her death from congestive heart failure was a direct result of overwork. Now Japan’s government wants to cap overtime at 100 hours a month.

But Japan isn’t the only overworked country. Americans now work an average of 47 hours per week, according to a recent Gallup poll. 18 % say they average more 60 hours a week, which equals at least 80 hours overtime a month.

Meanwhile, more Americans are choosing work over earned time off. A study last year found more than half of the American workforce ends the year with unused vacation time. Millennials feel more pressure to put in long hour than older workers.

So how about you? Do you prefer overtime pay, or personal time?