An acute case of ‘absenteeism’
Three out of four bosses make themselves available to their job at all hours of the day, and their personal relationships suffer as a result of their workaholic tendencies, according to a survey about managers’ working hours.
UK law firm Peninsula, the company behind the survey, is warning that failure to unwind, relax and the inability to have a release from work has a dire effect on employers’ work performance and motivation.
The survey of 1,800 employers found that 79 percent — almost four out of five — worked more than 60 hours a week — an average of 12 hours a day in a five-day working week.
Just six percent, meanwhile, worked between 40 and 50 hours a week, while 15 percent worked between 50 and 60 hours.
The survey also found that 87 percent made themselves available for work-related issues by leaving their cell phones switched on once they had left the office, and 82 percent found it impossible to turn their minds off work after hours.
The effect of working such long hours had detrimental effects on their personal relationships and sleeping patterns, managers said.
Three out of four — or 76 percent — said their commitment to their job had a negative effect on relationships and their social life, while the same number said they survived on between two and four hours of quality sleep a day.
Hewlett Packard Survey
Hewlett Packard commissioned a survey of 1,100 UK office workers, revealing that the relentless interruptions of phone calls, emails, and text messages they experienced at work cut productivity and left them feeling wiped out. Among other things, the study revealed the following:
- Nearly two out three people check their e-mail messages when they’re out of the office and when on vacation
- Half of all workers respond to an e-mail within 60 minutes of receiving it
- One out of five workers will separate from a business or social engagement to respond to a message.
British Clinical Trials
Dr. Glenn Wilson, a psychiatrist at King’s College London University, conducted 80 clinical trials, wherein he monitored workers’ IQs throughout the day. Wilson saw a 10-point drop in the IQs of trial participants who were distracted with message juggling—that’s the same as losing a whole night’s sleep and more than double the 4-point fall seen after smoking marijuana.
Hewlett Packard’s David Smith said “the research suggests that we are in danger of being caught up in a 24-hour ‘always on’ society.”
Being constantly ‘on’ is also the enemy of creative thinking and innovation. Talking on the phone, answering countless emails or rushing to the next meeting does not allow you to think things through or answer the most important question-what’s my real priority!
Put simply, overwork is just plain bad for business and bad for your health and happiness. Without enough time to rest, think, recharge and enjoy a balanced life, people become anxious, error prone and ill. So what to do?
- ask yourself if you pass the gravestone test. Will your gravestone read- ‘answered every email received’ or something more in keeping with your values? I bet no one would like the epitaph ‘was always available at the weekend when needed’
- ask yourself ‘who is going to get my life in balance?’. If it’s the person reading this then answer the next question.
- ‘what am I going to do differently today?’ Am I going to turn my phone off when I leave the office, shall I go for a walk after dinner or call a friend. Maybe I’ll just sit around and read a book.
So, if your inner workaholic is winning the race – it’s time to make a change. If your technology is in charge of you – it’s time to make a change. If you want to be happier ,healthier, more productive and more creative – it’s time to make a change.
Are you an e-mail-aholic?
The average office worker is now receiving more than 36 e-mails a day. Misused and overused, e-mail has been identified as a leading Productivity Stealer. Many say that it now adds more than two hours every day to an already crowded schedule and, in a recent survey, only 12% of people thought e-mail increased productivity. E-mail is also used inappropriately to avoid confrontational or contentious issues at work.
One study also concluded that 45% of e-mails received at the office have no relevance to actual work. Here are three tips to make this e-mail relevant to you!
- If you are labouring hard to compose an e-mail, it usually suggests that a better method communication is necessary (i.e. a telephone call or face-to-face meeting)
- If your e-mail message is contentious, sleep on it or get a dispassionate colleague to read it first.
- Create e-mail rules that balance your need for technology with face to face contact. Develop e-mail guidelines for your team or department.
