There was a time when employees showed up for work, worked eight hours, and then went home. Not so today. The boundaries between work and home have become blurred. Here’s why:
- Longer hours. Employers often ask employees to work longer hours. Sometimes, overtime is mandatory. In order to move up the career ladder, many employees believe they need to put in more “face time” at the office. In fact, the average workweek today is 49.2 hours.
- Global economy. As more companies outsource or move jobs overseas to reduce labor costs, employees feel pressured to work longer hours and produce more to protect their jobs.
- International business. If you work in an international business, work continues around the world 24/7. Therefore, workers may be on call around the clock for trouble-shooting or consulting. Also, the work day is lengthened by early morning or evening meetings to accommodate people in different time zones.
- Advanced communication technology. With the advent of laptop computers, cell phones, and personal handheld devices, people now have the ability to work anywhere – at the office, at home, from their car, or even on vacation. Advanced technology has increased expectations with regard to response time, so now we’re constantly connected with the office. Some managers even expect it.
If you’ve experienced any of these challenges, you understand how easy it is for work to invade your personal life. If you’re not careful, work can overtake your life. In order to avoid that, you need to set boundaries around work in order to keep balanced. For tips on how to set boundaries on work, please see the article “Setting Boundaries at Work”.
Working overtime can become an obsession for some workers. It’s tempting to work overtime in order to make more money or to prove yourself, but be careful that you’re not sacrificing something more important. For hourly employees, it’s tempting to work overtime in order to earn extra money for your dream vacation or for your child’s college fund. Some people need to work to stay on top of family finances or to pay those extra, unplanned expenses, like major car repairs or medical bills. If you’re on salary, working overtime won’t provide extra cash, but it can help you keep up with your workload. Working long hours may also help you earn a promotion or a bonus.
Before accepting overtime, consider the pros and cons of working extra hours, and the impact on you and your family.
Fatigue – Your ability to think diminishes when you’re tired. Consequently, you are more likely to make mistakes, which lead to rework. This can hurt your productivity and can negatively impact your professional reputation.
Increased Expectations – If you work extra hours as a general rule, you may be given more responsibility! This could create a never-ending and increasing cycle of more work.
Family – You may miss out on important events, such as your son’s championship soccer game, your daughter’s recital, or your father’s 60th birthday party. Missing out on important milestones may hurt your relationships with your loved ones.
Friends – Good friends are an important part of your support network. If you’re spending more time at the office and less time with your friends, then you’ll find it difficult to nurture those friendships.
Sometimes working overtime is important. It’s a choice you can make to catch up on bills or to save for something important. If you work for a company that requires overtime, you won’t be able to avoid it, but you can manage it. If you work overtime for financial reasons or to gain a promotion, do so in moderation. Most importantly, say no when you’re too tired, when it’s affecting your health, or when you have important family obligations.
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.