WORK LIFE imBALANCE

For some people their job is not just a source of income but a part of who they are and therefore they will go the extra mile to get the job done even if that means constantly doing overtime, working also at home or in weekends. In the end they are so caught in their work that they almost have no time for personal life. The stress and tiredness will inevitably lead to the phenomenon called burnout. Some of us learn the importance of work life balance only after they go through or are close to exhaustion.

After almost a year of working an average of 55 hours per week, skipping lunch breaks, being available also during weekends and covering the responsibilities of 3 jobs in 2 different locations I started questioning my life style. My body was also giving me all the hints I needed that things are not ok. I could not sleep well, I started feeling burns in my stomach, I was always tired and nervous. Why did I push myself to the limits? It was not for money, that's for sure.

It all happened with a promotion, a great chance I've been given and my wish to prove that I can do a good job. This motivated me so much that I did not think anymore about my personal life and health. Getting things done and being able to deal with such high volume of work gave me a sort of energy that was making me continue in that rhythm for a quite long period of time. One night, while going at home from work I waited in the subway station for about 30 minutes because I was not realizing that I need to take the subway to go home. I was so tired that my brain must have stopped. I was just standing there staring at the subways passing one after another. When I realized what had just happened, I decided that this can't go on like this.

It's ok to be devoted to your job and to want a career, however no rewards or money could ever pay back one’s health or personal life.

A trainer told me once that it's up to us how we use our time at work. If we need to eat at our desk and at the same time do something for work that's fine. I totally disagree with that.

The lunch break should be for two things only: lunch and break from work. Only like this we will refresh and be able to concentrate for the rest of the day. When it comes to overtime, unfortunately there are many companies where working long hours is already part of the corporate culture. The managers work until late and they expect all other employees to do the same. Some employees will even start feeling bad for leaving at the end of the normal working hours.

Doing overtime can show someone's commitment to the company if it's done occasionally, in special or emergency situations. However if someone is constantly doing overtime this can be a sign of bad time management, incompetency or overloading. Working until exhaustion might have good results on short term for the company but devastating effects on medium and long term for both the company and the employee. Employees who take care of their personal life, who work normal hours, rest enough and who keep themselves healthy will be far more productive and motivated than the ones who do the opposite.

No matter the cause of work life imbalance, there is always a solution. The first step is to admit that we have a problem.