Overtime taking a toll on personal lives, says study

He usually stays in the office until 10 pm.

Ma said most of his colleagues also have a similar lifestyle.

"It is not compulsory, but we do this on our own accord as we have gotten accustomed to it," he said.

Li Zhelong, a design architect who has been working in Shanghai for five years after graduation, said that he generally takes one day off in a week, and it is quite common to leave office around 9 pm or 10 pm in the evening, especially if there are important and pressing projects.

Li said it is a common practice to work overtime in his industry, especially in his position, which covers most of the work in the early stage of a project.

He takes it for granted as he thinks there will be a period of time in a person's life that he or she would sacrifice something for career success.