Balancing work and life is one of the hottest issues of our time. In fact, according to an Aon Consulting poll, 88% of employees say they have a hard time juggling work and life. Not surprisingly, increasing work demands are a primary factor. With recent downsizing, employees are taking on the jobs of two or three people. Here are some statistics related to work pressures.
- Nearly 50% of all US workers feel overwhelmed by a growing number of job tasks and longer working hour (Families & Work Institute study).
- The average work week is now 49.2 hours (according to USA Today).
- 63% of all employees want to work less (Families & Work Institute study).
This quote from one of my coaching clients, Karen, reveals the result of being overworked. “Working 50-60 hour work weeks doesn’t leave much time to take care of responsibilities at home, which increases the stress level on the weekends to get all the household chores done. This leaves little to no time to enjoy hobbies, family, outings, and such.”
When I ask participants in my workshops what are their biggest work-life challenges, I often hear a couple themes.
- There’s never enough time to do everything that needs to get done. When I ask who feels this way, nearly all the hands shoot up. As a result of feeling pressured to do everything, they feel stressed out.
- Over-committing or over-extending oneself. My workshop participants often have high expectations of themselves, and have a tendency to try to do too much. As a result of trying to meet the demands of others, they oftentimes put themselves last. This comment from a workshop participant, Maria, sums it up. “Between work and family, I put myself last. Some days I get so busy, I don’t even take time to eat!”
What about you? What are your biggest work-life challenges? Please share them with other readers.