Why the Jack Ma Approach Is Not Best For Business
Recently, the billionaire founder of Alibaba, Jack Ma, argued for a “996” system. This entails workdays spanning from 9am to 9pm – that’s 12 full hours – and a work week that’s six days long. Woah… that’s a lot to take in. He says that it is best for business, particularly in maintaining China’s economic inertia. But we beg to disagree with Jack Ma and this notion productivity that prioritizes profits ahead of the workers’ wellness and their work-life balance.
This is not what’s best for business and runs counter to what entrepreneurs should seek and what they should ask of their employees. After all, don’t startup owners hire Virtual Assistants precisely so they can have more time off? And aren’t people working as VAs to have more flexibility and control over their hours? (more…)