Advances in technology and automation have reduced the need for manual labour. Therefore, working hours should be reduced. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

Sample 1:

The advancements in technology and automation have revolutionised industries across the globe, resulting in a significant reduction in the need for manual labour. In light of this, I strongly agree that working hours in offices and factories should be reduced. This essay will outline the reasons supporting this viewpoint. 

One compelling reason to reduce working hours is to enhance the work-life balance and promote the well-being of employees. Longer working hours can lead to physical and mental exhaustion, negatively impacting the overall quality of life. By reducing working hours, individuals would have more time to engage in activities outside of work, such as spending time with family, pursuing hobbies, and engaging in self-care practices. For example, in Sweden, several companies have implemented shorter working hours with positive outcomes. The experiment conducted by the Toyota service centre in Gothenburg demonstrated that a six-hour workday not only led to improved employee well-being but also resulted in increased productivity and customer satisfaction. 

Another reason to support the reduction of working hours is the potential for increased productivity and efficiency in the workplace. While it may seem counterintuitive to suggest that shorter working hours can lead to higher output, research and examples have shown otherwise. For instance, in 2019, Microsoft Japan conducted an experiment known as the "Work-Life Choice Challenge," where they implemented a four-day workweek. The results were remarkable, with productivity increasing by 40%. 

In conclusion, the advancements in technology and automation have significantly reduced the demand for manual labour. As a result, it is crucial to adapt the working hours in offices and factories to align with the changing landscape. Reducing working hours not only promotes a healthier work-life balance but also enhances employee well-being, job satisfaction, and productivity.

Sample 2:

A group of people assert that offices should decrease the working hours for employees since automation and technological advancement enable employees to do more work in less time. I agree with this view and will support it in the following paragraphs.

To begin with, technological advances and computerisation in an office greatly enhance the productivity of employees. As a result, the staff can produce more output and can perform more efficiently without working for long hours. For example, in the pre-computer era, a bank cashier had to work manually, check different ledger books, verify a person’s identity and then pay a customer. Moreover, at the end of the day, the cashier had to calculate all the transactions before he could leave the office alone with other cashiers. However, this is no longer the case with automation in the banking industry. A cashier can now serve a few customers in 15 minutes and at the end of the day, the banking software does the calculation. Hence, reducing the working hours seems quite logical to me.

Furthermore, motivating employees and retaining key employees are two challenges every organisation faces in this competitive age. Reducing the working hours could be an effective solution in achieving better success in the long run. Since most employees, these days, perform more tasks due to technological help, they should be given more time to spend with their families to establish a healthy work-life balance.

Finally, organisations that need to remain open 24/7, like hospitals, fire services, hotels and so on should implement a rostering system and take advantage of modern technology as much as possible to reduce the manual work done by people. This way they can ask their employees to work fewer hours per day and enhance their overall productivity along with establishing a healthy and productive work environment.

To conclude, considering everything, I firmly believe that the working hours of office employees should be reduced as it would both motivate staff and help organisations retain their better-performing employees and generate more output.

Sample 3:

The constant revolution of machine advances, technology and automation has never been as outrageous as it is now. As an inevitable result, the demand for manual labor is decreasing, leading to the cutback of working hours to save manpower and wages, whereas increasing productivity. Although I accept that there are some obvious drawbacks to employment, I strongly advocate a cutback in working hours.

Undeniably, working less hours generally also means less income for the household for the most part. This loss of income is more likely to cause frustration or financial stress on the laborers, leading to more severe health problems, both mentally and physically. This in return will ultimately wreak havoc on the state health insurance budgets. Worse than that, if low skilled workers are replaced totally by automation technology causing a rise in unemployment rates, GDP drops, and the economic health of the countries involved will suffer a tremendous loss.

However, I am totally convinced that the above downsides are easily compensated for by the economic gains that technological advances and computerization bring. For example, AI (chat GPT or CoPilot) has empowered modern workers to increase their productivity tremendously during the same amount of time compared to their counterparts in the past. More revenues are being created whereas less waste or human mistakes happen. Therefore, laborers can spend more time with their families, further their education to upgrade their skills, and ultimately lead to a more wealthy and healthy life balance.

In conclusion, the economic and health related problems caused by a cutback on labor hours can easily be overshadowed by tremendous economic gains induced by technological advances and automations. The world spins nonstop, so new trends should be harnessed and welcomed.

Sample 4:

In many production-oriented factories, machinery has evolved to such a degree that the demand for physical labour has considerably reduced, leading to the suggestion of a reduced working week. However, there are several factors that need to be considered.

Primarily, the long-term impact of shorter working weeks needs to be considered. Although less time at work may sound appealing, the reality is that people may find that they have too much free time. Fewer working hours would presumably mean less income, so a situation arises where employees have more leisure time than their income can support. This has the potential to result in feelings of boredom, frustration or anxiety, all of which have possible side-effects for society as a whole.

Connected with this comes the social factor of self-esteem. Being made redundant can have a negative impact on many people, especially if the position is replaced with a robot. To illustrate, a staff member employed for cleaning purposes who is then replaced by an automatic cleaning system is unlikely to feel positive about their own sense of worth.

A solution that would benefit all those concerned would be to utilize the time no longer required for manual labour for something more productive. Instead of simply reducing the working week, a combination of industry and government support could allow employees to receive further education and training, such as management skills or personal development courses. Even automated factories still require technicians, mechanics and designers to maintain and improve production.

To summarise, until such time as automation has reduced the working week for all types of employees, it would perhaps be counter-productive to reduce the working week of those involved in manual labour without providing an alternative simply because they are replaceable.

Sample 5:

Technology and its innovations have become deeply enmeshed in the lives of people today. A commonly held notion is that advancements in technology can diminish workloads and lessen the need for manual labour, which calls for a reduction in working hours. I agree with this statement and in the following essay, I will explain why working hours should be curtailed.

To begin with, scaling down working hours can lead to a better work-life balance for employees. Spending less time working will enable people to focus on their avocations outside work and also spend time with family and fulfil familial commitments. Research regarding the introduction of the four-day work week, for example, has shown promising outcomes for employee contentment and well-being.

Moreover, the reduction of working hours helps cut down costs and boost productivity. Employees are more engaged with their work and are less likely to make aberrations. The production of work has become economical in terms of time and money, with more industries than ever being mechanised. With more spare time on their hands, employees are more fulfilled and happier, which indicates propitious outcomes for their productivity.

However, the cutback in manual labour due to technological advancements also has certain drawbacks. Firstly, the mechanisation of jobs eradicates certain job roles rather than creating them, which leads to unemployment and other adverse implications. Secondly, the automation of jobs does not apply to all industries, such as handicrafts and cottage industries which hinges on the manual labour of proficient craftsmen.

In conclusion, I believe that while the advent of the automation of jobs fomented by technological progress and the subsequent lessening of working hours is largely beneficial, it is not without its problems. Introducing automation should be done bearing in mind the needs of the specific industry and the workers involved.

Sample 6:

The new technological developments and implementation of automation in various processes have decreased the need for human intervention. In fact, as machines are taking over various repetitive tasks, they have helped in reducing the working hours. Hence, I completely agree with the statement that working hours should be decreased.

Firstly, reducing the working hours will be profitable for the employees as they will get a chance to create a balance between their professional and personal life. For instance, if an individual spends quality time with their family their stress level will go down. Moreover, it will also help in the overall development of the employee. This change in environment will encourage the individual to spend more time learning new things, following their passion, and investing in their well-being.

Secondly, fewer working hours will result in more productivity. For example, if a person knows that a task has to be completed at a particular time they tend to focus better and deliver it efficiently. Not only, this motivates the person to work but also makes the work environment better. Also, shorter working hours make the employee more comfortable resulting in less iteration rate for the firm.

To conclude, the computer era and automation have made everyone's life easier and better in different ways. Not only, it has helped people with work-life balance but also it makes the employee more satisfied and comfortable. Henceforth, I completely adhere to the fact that working hours should be decreased for the betterment of the firm and its people.

Sample 7:

A lot of people are lobbying for a reduction in work hours due to the introduction of new technology and automation. I am of the opinion that work hours should not be cut down just because there are new strides in technology. The time that is saved due to the adoption of the latest technologies and automations should be invested in new research and development projects so that organizations can cater to the growing demands of the market.

Organisations which have adopted new technologies and have seen a reduction in manual labour can utilise all the additional time their workforce has into testing other latest technologies that are out there to make the processes even better. Improving processes helps these organisations explore a plethora of other opportunities they can invest in to benefit their employees. For example, the pharmaceutical giant Dr. Reddy's labs invested a lot of money into automating their raw material packaging which resulted in saving around 4000 man-hours per month.

Instead of reducing the working hours or letting go of their employees, they in turn invested this additional time they had into testing and implementing other technologies that were used for manufacturing capsules and this saved them millions of dollars which was later invested in research and development of new cancer medicines.

Furthermore, with growing population, there is always growth in demand and reduction in manual labour provides one with the flexibility to work on the growing demands of people. For example, several banks have adopted new software systems to automate some of their end of the day activities and thus saved a lot of time of their employees. The time thus saved was then invested in bringing in more customers, catering to the ever-growing market needs and growing their own businesses.

In conclusion, the main advantage of moving to newer technology and automation is reduction in manual effort, but this advantage can be leveraged further by utilizing the saved time to validate and implement many other technologies out there in the market and expanding the business to meet the exploding market requirements.