According to statistics, Romanian employees are neither more productive than other European employees, nor do they work more hours. However, the death of an Ernst & Young company manager due to exhaustion, as reported by Mediafax, is raising further questions on the working habits of Romanian employees.
One in two Romanian employees works overtime occasionally, whilst one in two Romanian managers works overtime on a daily basis. Statistics show that typically, at least one in four men and one in six women work overtime on a daily basis. This has lead to the questions being raised - do we need a "handbook to capitalism" in human resources in order to live up to the necessary competition and challenges? Do Romanian employees suffer from a career complex, and try to prove others wrong by working themselves "to death"?
Romanian employees are faced with a paradox. The economy is growing at a fast rate, so in order to reduce the margins between the EU economy and competition between companies this translates into greater pressure for employees and greater competitiveness.
"The problem is a rather complex one from the point of view of the business environment, and it exceeds the strict limits of human resources. This type of pressure can lead, in many situations, to more ambitious targets, which could not be achieved if the severe limitations imposed by the legal norms were met," says Vlad Neacsu, a partner with Popovici & Asociatii (Popovici and Partners). He confirms that there is pressure for increased efficiency from employers.
According to the law, the working day is set at 8 hours. However, this is just a general rule, onto which a series of special provisions are applied causing various loopholes and exceptions.
Before 1989, career was a rather abstract notion on the labour market, and Romanian employees, abruptly entering capitalism, suffer from a so-called "career complex", say psychologists. Psychoanalyst Raisa Constantinescu says, "We are more interested in making a career than other Europeans," because the working lifestyle of capitalism has also brought a radical change in how we perceive professional life.
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