Do people work very long hours in SG?

[channel5]

from my job experiences from caucasian and asian bosses,
asian boss = work long hours means very hardworking, leave on the dot means lazy!

caucasian boss = as long as you do your work well and finish your work on time , you can leave early. not everyday and too early lar..
work late means, you are so inefficient that you need to work OT???

[calvink]

Time Management is quite subjective here...yeah..like what jesse has mention...depending on the job nature itself...

As for me, i try to finish off my work and leave on the dot....though some work are incomplete, it could be done tomorrow though...As much as u wanted to finish it on time, i dont think i should FORCE my brain too much...Eventually, ppl got into health problems later...

so... its better not to force yourself too much on work....work without enjoying what youre doing...i dont think you would stay long...

[jpatokal]

But does the law in SG allow no paid overtime work? or simply the employers ignore the law? Isn't there any lawful protection of workers from being exploited?

If you're earning above S$2,500/month, the Employment Act does not apply to you, and the rules are set entirely by your employment contract. And if the contract doesn't say anything about overtime payments, then you get no overtime.