When work is enjoyable and rewarding, this epithet fills with pride in your efforts. But it also happens in another way. Why workaholism is dangerous and when to stop, said Margarita Tretyakova, HR director at Philips in Russia and the CIS.
Now it has become more difficult to recognize situations when a person is actually processing. Flexible hours, the ability to work remotely, the desire of employers to take into account personal preferences and the characteristics of their employees have greatly changed the idea of the time and space of the working day. And while for many companies the 9 to 6 pm schedule is still the standard of the working day, more and more employers are rethinking their approach and preferring to achieve visible results over fixed working hours. In the era of technology and advanced communications in many areas, the philosophy of companies should be not to put colleagues in a rigid work schedule, but, on the contrary, to provide them with a choice of comfortable working hours, because the main thing is to achieve a result. Of course, everything must remain within the framework of labor laws.
How to recognize workaholism
It is important for an employer to understand how the company is doing with recycling. But, first of all, it is necessary for the employee to understand this, otherwise there is a great risk of simply burning out and losing interest even in the most beloved profession. After all, it's about your own health, well-being and quality of life. There are several signs by which a person may notice workaholism or a state of chronic fatigue, which is accompanied by feelings of anxiety, poor sleep and irritability:
- desire and willingness to be in touch 24/7;
- preference for work to personal plans and interests;
- work during vacation, or no vacation at all for a long time;
- unwillingness to delegate tasks to employees who are objectively ready for this.
Working hard doesn't mean working productively
There can be many reasons for workaholism - from the desire to realize career ambitions as soon as possible to the need to earn more. For some, overworking helps to "distract" from problems in their personal life. But working hard doesn't mean getting things done efficiently. There is a lot of research on this topic, for example, by Gartner, and they all say the opposite - overwork leads to decreased efficiency, stress and creative burnout. You can draw an analogy with training - from the fact that you will do exercises more than the prescribed time, the quality of the results is unlikely to be higher. You may be able to reach your goal faster, but at what cost? Trauma is likely to be unavoidable, and you can end up loving things that once brought you pleasure. So at work - balance is important everywhere.
Presentism and absenteeism: why recycling is dangerous
First of all, overworking has a negative impact on the employees themselves, and only then on the company's performance. The consequences can be more than just missed family events or a failed weekend. According to research, long-term processing can lead to a deterioration in the physical and emotional health of a person: overwork, memory and concentration impairment, depression. In English, there are concepts that are directly related to the topic of workaholism and burnout at work:
- presentism - emotional discomfort, sometimes even guilt, experienced by an employee for missing work for a good reason. A classic example is a person with a cold comes to the office.
- absenteeism - an employee is absent from work for a long time for various reasons, or does not go to work at all without a good reason.
It is not uncommon that the second phenomenon may be a consequence of the first. Overtime is equally disadvantageous for employers. The consequences can range from burnout and reduced employee productivity to deteriorating business performance and negative perception of the employer brand.
Personal example is more effective than regulations
The attitude to overwork is formed "from above" - as a rule, the behavior model is set by the leaders of the organization. And if they actively broadcast work-life balance to employees as one of the company's values, but at the same time leave the office no earlier than 21:00, then most likely such attempts will be in vain.
First, it is important to enlist the support of a management team that, not only in word, but also in deed, will demonstrate a commitment to work-personal balance and understand the importance of the well-being of its employees. Secondly, the problem of overtime needs to be considered comprehensively - through the prism of all elements of the organization, including the culture of the company, the processes of goal setting and evaluation of results, the system of motivation and reward of employees. In this case, there will be more chances that work-life balance will exist not only on paper.
Of course, in practice, everything turns out to be much more complicated - ambitious goals, a rapidly changing market, high expectations of shareholders and company owners - all this creates additional pressure on employees, can lead to an increase in the volume of work and, as a result, overwork. Nevertheless, the success of the company is in the hands of its employees, so the issue of timely prevention of stress and emotional burnout remains relevant for many employers. For example, Philips has implemented the Health & Wellbeing program, which aims to help employees manage their resources wisely at work and at home. As part of this initiative, educational sessions for employees are held, which talk about the importance of physical, mental and emotional health, provide advice,how to manage your energy resources; and the importance of stress prevention and burnout is broadcast.
Office is not a second home, but comfort is important
A spacious and ventilated open space, large windows through which sunlight breaks through, a cozy kitchen - an example of an ideal workspace for high productivity and keeping employees in a good mood. Greening of offices plays an important role here. For example, scientists at the University of Queensland, Australia, found that in an office where there are plants, employee productivity can increase by 15%. People are favorably influenced by the presence of a rich green color in the room, and employees feel the care of the employer, who thinks about their comfort.
We also strive to take care of our colleagues, taking into account their peculiarities when organizing the workspace. For example, our office has special rooms for nursing mothers, recreation areas and small rooms that employees can use for individual work. In addition, there are a number of initiatives aimed at maintaining the physical health of employees - yoga classes are held several times a week in the office. Everyone has the opportunity to join a volleyball, basketball team, become part of a running club and run a marathon. These programs tend to receive a strong response from employees and reflect the mission and values of the company.
If you are still a workaholic
Working conditions are decent, but overwork has become a habit, and work-life balance lives on except in your Instagram feed? In this case, it is important first of all to understand the problem. If you do not admit that you are workaholic, then most likely you will not take any action. If there is a problem, and you are aware of it, you should listen to yourself and find out why you are processing, when it started, what is the reason, who / what can help change the situation. In some situations, specialist assistance may be required. Be kind to yourself and deal with the problem gradually, don't create additional stress. From personal experience, reflection helps a lot - an internal dialogue with oneself: what is important, what brings pleasure in life, what is a source of energy, and what, on the contrary, takes energy. Do whatwhat brings you pleasure and try to limit sources of stress. It sounds trite, but there is no better recipe. Treat work as a source of self-realization and development. Don't neglect leisure, hobbies, or time with your family. And the main advice - learn to mess around, sometimes it's very useful!
5 expert tips to help you become more efficient and avoid overwork:
- Make a list of tasks for the day: when they are on paper, it is easier to evaluate them, prioritize them and calculate your time. Try to keep your list no more than 5-7 tasks per day.
- Do not forget about the list of completed tasks. Then, in addition to the feeling that the number of tasks is only increasing, there will also be a feeling of completion and satisfaction from the work done. For example, you can use the Kanban method (from the LEAN methodology) - write tasks on separate stickers and categorize them: “to be done”, “in progress”, “done” and move them accordingly.
- Do not put off the most difficult tasks until the last working hour, start them in the morning with a "fresh" head. It's best to start straight away on the tasks that cause you the most anxiety and questions - by finishing them earlier, you won't feel pressured throughout the day.
- Take breaks: for the brain to absorb information well, it needs to switch. Go to lunch outside the office, or go outside for 15 minutes to get some air
- Take a day off: if you regularly go to work, do not take time off every week and rarely go on sick leave - take a day off just like that. Spend an extra day at home after completing a major project or before an important meeting. Allow yourself to reboot without waiting for the weekend.
- Learn to say no. It can be difficult for us to refuse for understandable reasons - most people, including our colleagues, clients and partners, expect from us to hear a completely different answer. However, learning to say “no” can and should be, this degree will help you better manage your time and energy.
Expert:
Margarita Tretyakova
Photo: Getty Images
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