
On the Brink of Burnout? The Signs & Solution
Many of us dedicate 50 odd years to working full time jobs. Yet have you ever stopped to think how your work lifestyle is affecting your health?
Modern Work Culture
Modern culture glorifies a relentless pace of work. So much so that admitting to feeling stressed can feel like an admission of failure. “I can’t possibly ring in sick, they need me.” Pair that with a toxic work culture and conditions and you may find an employee on the slippery slope to burnout.
In 2016, the Economic and Social Research Institute found that 18% of workplace absences were attributable to work-related stress, anxiety, and depression (Seasonal Affective Disorder). The study found that SAD was the second highest cause of work-related illness in Ireland.
Jeffrey Pfeffer, a professor of organisational behaviour at Stanford University, found that the workplace profoundly affects human health — individuals are literally dying for a pay check! Some of the negative effects include collapsing from fatigue; developing a dependency on anti-depressants; dizziness and chest pain amid physical and emotional exhaustion; cynicism and detachment; and feelings of ineffectiveness.
Why?
Because today’s working world is so competitive, we feel under pressure to people please. If we ring in sick, Peter will get the promotion quicker. It’s a continuous cycle.
Sounds pretty awful, right?
Changing your lifestyle
We believe there are ways to succeed in your career without suffering from work burnout and chronic stress. By developing a lifestyle that combines downtime with work, you are instantly reducing the risk of stress related illnesses.
Whether it be an extra day working from home in a hybrid role that enables you to make that 10am Yoga class, or simply avoiding one daily commute to gain more resting time, SmartWorking roles are the largest contributing factor to promoting Wellness in Work!
We are not advocating less work or a poorer quality in results. Instead, we optimise our careers by adapting SmartWorking methods to achieve the optimum work-life balance.
To further enhance our well-being while working, we believe in:
- Ensuring you only work in a certain area of your home so that relaxation areas and work areas don’t ever overlap (should you have to work from home for a day or two).
- Take at least half an our for lunch and leave your work area if you can. Remember the importance of proper time out and relaxing with colleagues to off load.
- Keeping track of your working hours over a period of weeks or months rather than days to avoid a build up of stress. If you felt particularly under pressure in February, you may be able to plan cutting back a few hours for March based on your feedback from the previous month.
- Assessing your work-life balance with colleagues and with the support of managerial staff. More often than not, you have to make things happen for yourself in order to notice a change!
Curious about SmartWorking roles?