In many countries, governments have enacted restrictions on working hours for jobholders.

This essay
will discuss the possible reasons why these acts came into force, and suggest that this is a positive
development because it reaps various benefits.

To commence with, prolonged working hours have been on the rise for many years, resulting in a
growing number of employees developing health issues related to work pressure. It is also associated
with the mental and social well-being of employees. Every year, long working hours lead to many early
deaths from cardiac arrests and ischemic heart disease. For example, in an international study of the loss
of life and health associated with working long hours, ILO and WHO joint estimate reveals that around
half a million people, in 2017, died from stroke as a result of having worked at least 52 hours a week. The
COVID-19 pandemic had also worsened the situation. A case in point is a study of 4.2 million employees
from Latin America, Australia, and Europe in 2019, which shed light on the fact that the average working
hours had risen by 52.4 minutes. Therefore, there is a justification for states to introduce laws to prohibit
long working hours.

Defined working hours laws are a positive development as they prove advantageous to employees and
employers. In simple words, reducing working hours helps employees devote their spare time to their
family and friends, thereby establishing a healthy personal and professional life. It also enhances their
performance and job loyalty which benefits employers. Apart from that, it reduces unemployment.
When employees work for limited hours, the necessity of increasing employees to make up for the fewer
working hours emerges, which brings down unemployment. It is, therefore, evident that legal maximum
working hours is a positive development.

To recapitulate, severe health, social and psychological issues caused by indecent working hours have
provoked the authority to adopt laws to limit working hours. It is a positive development as these laws
confer various advantages to workers as well as employers.