IELTS Writing Task 2 Essay 37 Band 8 Sample Answer
Some countries have introduced laws to limit working hours for employees. Why are these laws introduced? Do you think this is a positive or negative development?
In this day and age, an increasing number of nations have inaugurated directives to protect average working hours. In my opinion, these laws are meant to limit exploitive practices and they are advantageous if enforced well.
It is interesting to note that governments worldwide are stepping in and passing legislation that restricts and regulates working hours. Before labor laws existed, it was common for corporations to require long working days under extreme workforce conditions. Modern stipulations that limit working hours are responding to these deeply-rooted historic concerns. For example, in developing countries, the labor laws are often not strict. In many places employees work for longer hours in a dangerous environment for little pay. Moreover, overworking results in physical health problems like poor sleep, heart disease, and diabetes, as well as mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and worse memory. People raise voice for this mistreatment by exposing it in media. Therefore, governments are forced to establish basic guidelines to prevent employees’ rights.
International tourism has brought about enormous benefits to many places. At the same time, there is concern about its impact on local inhabitants and the environment. Do the disadvantages of international tourism outweigh the advantages?
On the whole, these laws bring a lot of positive changes. With the reduction in hours, employees have more time to spend with their families and friends, leading to a happier workforce and employee satisfaction. Above all is that there has been a huge change in the productivity in countries that enforce these policies. For example, Britain reduces the working hours of employees from 8 to 6 hours. It brings a dramatic increase in the productivity of Britain’s huge companies. Last but not least, shorter working weeks do not just benefit employees and employers. They are also good for the planet. Countries with shorter working weeks tend to have reduced carbon emissions. It makes sense that less commuting means less pollution – especially when we consider rush hour traffic jams.
In conclusion, labor laws related to maximum working hours have meant to safeguard the rights of workers. Although there can be some negatives, these are negligible by giving more importance to positives.