Work-Life Balance and Mental Health Conditions during a Reduction in the Number of Working Hours: A Follow-Up Study of Hong Kong Retail Industry Workers

Abstract

This longitudinal study investigates the relationship among the number of working hours, work-life balance, and mental health conditions for full-time retail industry workers during a reduction in retail sales in Hong Kong, an area without standard working-hour legislation. Two questionnaire surveys were administered - one in 2014 and the other in 2015. Each survey was conducted on an anonymous basis, each comprising 100 retail industry workers in the same retail industry area. Results from the 2014 survey indicated that the number of working hours was long (51.92 hours per week). During the reduction in retail sales, there was a significant reduction in the original number of working hours (from 51.92 hours to 47.25 hours, p＜0.0001), an increase in the number of daily hours of personal or private activities (from 3.06 hours to 3.606 hours, not statistically significant), a significant increase in self-perceived work-life balance (from 3.76 to 4.51, p=0.0009), a decrease in the number of workers having problems because of disturbed work-life balance, and a significant decrease in the high mental health score (from 18.93 to 15.36, p=0.0003), indicating an improvement in mental health conditions. To conclude, the number of working hours for retail industry workers in Hong Kong was long. A reduction in the number of working hours resulted in an improvement in work-life balance and mental health conditions.