Work- Life Balance

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   marcoujorposted 13 years ago

   What drives so many people into throwing themselves into work at the exclusion of their personal happiness even when money is not the issue...?

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      Maddie Ruudposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Why do alcoholics continue to drink at the expense of their personal happiness and that of their loved ones?
      
      Addiction.

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         marcoujorposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Maddie Ruud~~ Thank you for this undenyable analogy. Before a tragic
         workplace violence event in 1999, I had more of a home- work see- saw relationship. The miracle of the tragedy was clarity leading to a balanced life.

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         jessejvickersposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         I definitely agree with you Maddie. People who are addicted to work are the people whose bodies immediately reacts to daily activities. They'll get sick if they skip out.

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         Nio Agerwalposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         The expression was first used in the late 1970s to describe the balance between an individual's work and personal life.[1] In the United States, this phrase was first used in 1986.
         Over the past twenty-five years, there has been a substantial increase in work which is felt to be due, in part, by information technology and by an intense, competitive work environment. Long-term loyalty and a "sense of corporate community" have been eroded by a performance culture that expects more and more from their employees yet offers little security in return.
         Many experts predicted that technology would eliminate most household chores and provide people with much more time to enjoy leisure activities; but many ignore this option, encouraged by prevailing consumerist culture and a political agenda that has "elevated the work ethic to unprecedented heights and thereby reinforced the low value and worth attached to parenting".[citation needed]
         Many Americans are experiencing burnout due to overwork and increased stress. This condition is seen in nearly all occupations from blue collar workers to upper management. Over the past decade, a rise in workplace violence, an increase in levels of absenteeism as well as rising workers’ compensation claims are all evidence of an unhealthy work life balance.[citation needed]
         Employee assistance professionals say there are many causes for this situation ranging from personal ambition and the pressure of family obligations to the accelerating pace of technology.[1]. According to a recent study for the Center for Work-Life Policy, 1.7 million people consider their jobs and their work hours excessive because of globalization.
         These difficult and exhausting conditions are having adverse effects. According to the study, fifty percent of top corporate executives are leaving their current positions. Although sixty-four percent of workers feel that their work pressures are "self-inflicted", they state that it is taking a toll on them. The study shows that seventy percent of US respondents and eighty-one percent of global respondents say their jobs are affecting their health.
         Between forty-six and fifty-nine percent of workers feel that stress is affecting their interpersonal and sexual relationships. Additionally, men feel that there is a certain stigma associated with saying "I can't do this".

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            marcoujorposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            NA~~Your well-grounded comments were the very reasons I left  my executive position in 1999 and I have never looked back. Thank you and I hope you consider writing more on this subject in a HUB.

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      kallini2010posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Doing something repetitively is easier than thinking and changing.  To change one needs courage and energy for change requires a lot of both.
      
      It is like starting a car - in the beginning you need a lot of energy (literally from the point of view of physics), but when you travel at a certain speed - energy is minimal.
      
      Inertia.  Unwillingness to question the status quo.  Usually, something profound must happen to change the balance.  When a person no longer can do what he/she does for whatever reason (unemployment, illness, catastrophe, personal crisis, nervous breakdown) then it is no other choice but to reevaluate what is important and what is not.

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         marcoujorposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Dear Kallini2010-- so well-articulated and oh, so correct. I have never looked at this issue from this point of view and I thank you.

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      Nio Agerwalposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      The number of stress-related disability claims by American employees has doubled[when?] according to the Employee Assistance Professionals Association in Arlington, Virginia. Seventy-five to ninety percent of physician visits are related to stress and, according to the American Institute of Stress, the cost to industry has been estimated at $200 billion-$300 billion a year.[3]
      Steven L. Sauter, chief of the Applied Psychology and Ergonomics Branch of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in Cincinnati, Ohio, states that recent studies show that "the workplace has become the single greatest source of stress".[4] Michael Feuerstein, professor of clinical psychology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences at Bethesda Naval Hospital states, "We're seeing a greater increase in work-related neuroskeletal disorders from a combination of stress and ergonomic stressors

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         marcoujorposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         NA~~ What a physical and emotional toll we can allow stress to take on our bodies~~ all the more reason to strive for balance in these situations.
         These statistics are staggering.

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   paradigmsearchposted 13 years ago

   Sometimes work/career is their personal happiness.

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      thirdmilleniumposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, and who are we to question them?

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         marcoujorposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Thirdmillenium & Purple Perl (below)~~ you reminded me of my aging Vet who hobbles to work but remains "forever young" as he takes care of his animals... they are his world and his passion and I know we are grateful for him.

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3. 74

   Richieb799posted 13 years ago

   Success is happiness?

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      marcoujorposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Paradigmsearch & Richieb799~~  I think the teacher in me feels you both bring up valid points...for me, my work brings me much "professional happiness" / successful along the way and my family/ home brings me even more "personal happiness". Where I tend to see people in a state of disconnect is when one side is markedly skewed.  And Richieb799, I must say some of the happiest guys I know are blue-collar tradesmen (probably not "successful" but some standards but wonderfully fulfilled to me.) Thank you both.

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   Purple Perlposted 13 years ago

   It is their passion.

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