A friend recently confided in me about the stress of her job and long work hours. She had working weekends for months in addition to her regular work week when her company mandated everyone work extended hours during the week too. What's more frustrating she explained, was how everyone was told to work longer hours although not everyone was behind on their work. Her management announced it would be short term.
She expressed to me in frustration, "when does this become the new standard work day salary employees are held to? How am I to supposed to function as a person and have a life working these hours?" Unfortunately, I know all too well what's she talking about. As an IT consultant for over 10 years, I've had to work irrational hours (what some would call crazy) during the ebbs and flows of projects.
Disordered Work-Life Balance Is A Real Problem In Corporate America
On one particular project, I worked until midnight Monday through Wednesday. We started the workday at 9 a.m. because everyone was too exhausted from being at the office until the early hours of the morning to crawl out of bed to arrive at a reasonable time. Then by the time everyone got to the office, got their breakfast at the cafeteria and settled in, it was time for lunch and by then it was afternoon. No one started any real work until 1 p.m. and it was a snail pace too. Everyone knew they had to be there until midnight regardless of how hard they worked so they took their time completing tasks.
I remember when I joined the project being baffled by this. It surprised me how everyone accepted this as "normal" working hours. They simply gave up on their happiness and their life. No one ever had a smile on their face. No one was ever happy. Furthermore, there was no business justification for this schedule whatsoever. In fact, it was pushed by the partner on the project to work "as many hours as possible" so he could bill the client more.
Disordered Work-Life Balance Has Become The Norm
Thankfully, my contract on the project was only a few months and when they asked me to renew I politely said "no thank you." During my time on the project, I had to load up on sugar and caffeine just to stay awake. On the weekends, all I did was sleep. I never felt so sick, stressed and zombie-like in my entire life. By the end of it, I was a mess and it was all due to a disordered work-life balance. I'd be lying if I said this was an extraordinary circumstance and the only time in my career it has ever happened. Over 90% of my work throughout the last five years has been like this.
Repercussions Of Disordered Work-Life Balance
When you work these kind of hours, you have no time to eat a real sit-down relaxing meal, see your kids, do something active, detox your brain or God forbid sleep. What I want to know is how much more productivity do companies think they're really getting from their employees by mandating these hours? Let's not even talk about the impact it has on the quality of work. Personally, my brain shuts down at 5 p.m. and I'm in bed by 8 p.m. every night. Staying late for me simply means you have a warm body at a desk getting no work done because my brain is no longer functioning. Is that worth it? Companies don't care because it's all about the perception of someone being at the desk not about what's actually getting done.
[Tweet "Is #CorporateAmerica to blame for your #health?"]
Corporations Are Taking More Risk With Disordered Work
What corporations fail to acknowledge is the increased risk disordered working brings to the organization. Employee burnout is a real issue and it's worsened since the economic downturn due to downsizing. Employees are now expected to do the job of what used to be multiple people and now are working longer hours too. What if an employee falls asleep on the way to or from work? What if an employee is so tired they make a mistake that costs the company customers or sales? What if an employee gets physically hurt at work because they're not alert enough to take the appropriate safety precautions? These are real liabilities that companies overlook or choose not to acknowledge.
Increased Stress Results Yields Increased Health Problems
Our bodies are not built for working long hours over extended periods of time. Stress impacts the body within just a few days and manifests itself in different ways. Depending on the person, stress can result in insomnia, increased hunger, intense sugar cravings, obesity, anxiety, depression, GI issues, autoimmune diseases, chronic illness and puts the individual at increased risk for heart disease & stroke.
Corporations Are Contributing To The Rising Cost Of Health Care
With the rising cost of health care, corporations are directly contributing to these rising costs by demanding more and more of their employees than they should be and inevitably, making their employees sick. Who is paying for these costs? Employees are. While corporations are assuming a portion of that financial burden ultimately, it directly impacts the employee by leaving less in the pot for annual raises and promotions. So not only are those high costs passed onto employees, but employees are also the ones getting sick and left to deal with the long-term effects. Is it worth it?
[Tweet "#HealthCare costs are rising is #CorporateAmercia to blame?"]
Corporate America Made Me Sick
If you've read about my cycle of injuries and estrogen battle, then you know I was diagnosed with HA earlier this year. HA is a result of too much stress. Since then, I've been diagnosed with stage three kidney failure and two autoimmune diseases which I have not yet written about. I am convinced without a doubt that the intense pressures of my job, long working hours and disordered work-life balance over many years is to blame for my health issues. My body finally just had enough. I'm only 37. What will my body look like in 10, 15, 20 years if I continue this way?
Corporate America made me sick and while it was my choice to work for those companies, it was never my choice to work those hours, give up my personal life or sacrifice my health. People can say find a slower paced job is the answer, but that's easier said than done and frankly, I've been told more than a dozen times "you're over qualified."
Whatever happened to the days of getting home in time to make dinner, sit down to eat with the family and watch nightly tv? Those days are long gone and and the only time we have to ourselves is the weekend which is spent catching up from the week or preparing in advance for the week ahead. No one has time for themselves to live their life outside of work.
Our minds, bodies and emotions are not built for this madness. They need balance and rest. People need to be active, people need exercise, people need to eat real whole food, people need to mentally detox and most importantly, people need rest. Where are the boundaries and when is it crossing the line and risking your health?
[Tweet "Is Coporate America making you sick? #FitFluential #CorporateAmerica"]
Is Corporate America making you sick? Tell me how do you achieve work-life balance?
Lots of Health, Food & Love,
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Megan,
As I was reading your story above; I'm literally thinking to myself; "I'm a split image of this woman". The only difference is that I suffer from different symptoms which are (anxiety, depression). Megan, I'm 34 years old. I started working in corporate America as an IT a Consultant at the age of 24 straight out of college in Georgia.
What I've learned is that everybody in the workplace is going to want 100% out of you "NOW". Not later, not next week, but now. At the end of the day, you are only one person but must pace yourself.
I remember the last project I was working on; I was in the office til 2am in the morning. The lights were literally off in the sky rise building I worked in, and was the only person there. I was so scared to ride home on the train at this time, so I caught Uber home.
I also remember going through a depression and I broke out in pimples all over my face.
Throughout the 10 years I've worked in corporate America, I've learned so much and half-way through those years; I've settled in New York now.
Here are my 3 remedies for surviving corporate America:
1. Prioritize
2. Eat
3. Exercise
I always tell myself; Melinda...don't give anyone a reason to come to you saying you're falling behind. ALWAYS stay on top of your work! If you have to stay at work til midnight and work through the weekend; then do it! Then lift your hands off and work normally (9-5pm). This will get you caught up to prioritize your obligations.
When it comes to eating; I carry a food bag with me everyday to work. Three meals and 2 snacks. If you're like me...loyal, glued to the computer trying to get work done and ALWAYS forgetting to eat; I put a timer on my phone. It beeps every 2-3 hours blinking "GO EAT". This will ensure nourishment in your body.
Lastly, go exercise. When 5pm hits, 9 times out of 10; I'm always missing my aerobics class!!! I hate missing my classes; but I still go to the gym. Even if I'm there 7 or 8pm at night; still get it in because it will give you the energy you need to perform well at work the following day.
Megan, trust me when I tell you that I feel your pain but these 3 things have helped me so much in my career. I know we can't change upper management with the lack of quality of the way we work; but we can prioritize and encourage other groups we work with cross-functionally to change with us and prioritize. This is what I've done in the past and it has worked for me. Have a talk with your manager, and set up a meeting with everyone. Take care of yourself and your health and best wishes. 😉
Twitter: @mccalixte
I gave you a glimpse into my thoughts. No, I can't go back because i COULD NOT HANDLE THE ASS KISSING & THE STRESS & THE POLITICS but I have tons of stress trying to even pay bills & no retirement here.. it is a hard choice.. HUGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi Megan, There are so many things wrong with the standard "norm" out there in corporate America. But I will say here in the Bay Area, while longer hours are expected -- there are a LOT more perks available, especially working for tech companies. For instance, you can take an in-house yoga class at lunch, all your healthy meals are provided, as well as the chance to bring your dog to work for comfort. Cool, right? I worked a very busy PR job for many years and luckily never had to deal with anything too overwhelming, but I know a lot of people that do. Thanks for sharing this one!
I think a move to SF may need to be considered! Lunch workouts and healthy food? Sign me up! Heck, I would even teach the class or cook the food!
I work in traveling consulting as well, and I always wonder how all of the flying impacts my body. Thankfully my current project (for the past year) has been super supportive of a solid work/life balance!
That's great you have that support Dani! I've had some amazing clients that were respectful of my boundaries too. They are few & far between though.
AMEN! Great points! I sure hope to see some attitude changes in the workplace, but I'm not too hopeful.
I work at a large IT company, and people just stay late to stay late. Not many people are productive till after 10AM and work late nights/ weekends to get "caught up". Poor use of time in my opinion. I'm lucky enough to have a gym with great classes at work, which I use every day. I get a lot of looks and I'm sure comments, because I am one of the few on my floor that actually leaves my desk during the day, but I would go nuts if I just sat still all day. We have to make smart, healthy choices for ourselves, no one else can do it for you. Who cares what other people think, I just imagine how much healthier I'll be in the long run. No one can prioritize your health and well being, no one but you.
I can relate to that! I worked for a client who constantly made fun of me for working out & eating healthy. I'm sure deep down the people talking about you are really envious.
I think this is so true. I've seen the 'workaholic' tendency in Americans more than any other country. Of course other countries are on the opposite end of the scale. Intentionally making yourself slow down is one of the hardest things in today's culture, but it's so important, and I think stress has been one of the biggest factors in health problems here. That's just my two cents. 🙂
I've always how other people outside the U.S. perceive our workaholic nature.
This needs to be posted everywhere. I'm literally just nodding along and have said so many times what is America going to look like in years - the amount of disease and depression caused by working like this. I'm a CPA, it's tax season, I work so much. I used to work in public where hours billable were king, and let me tell you I was at work past 1am for months at a time for over 4 years. I don't think my hormones have had a chance to recover. Everything is rush rush rush all the time. And honestly, I feel like because things are so rushed all the time there is so much extra work being done because people don't take time to stop and think. Great article. Sharing!!
Yes to the rush, rush, rush! I'm so tired of that intense rush feeling! I'm glad you liked the post & thanks for sharing TWICE!
This is a tough one. I have always worked in jobs where I have crazy hours. I now work in broadcast operations for a 24/7 news channel but prior was working in events (think Billboard awards). While I have of course always gotten to a point where I felt tired because I would lack sleep, I have always managed to find balance. I thrive in this high pressure environment. Luckily even though work literally never stops now, I will not answer an email/call etc if it is not urgent. I work minimum 50 hours and when I leave I leave. Unless it is an issue that is critical to broadcast making air, I leave it alone. I know they say there is a correlation between illness and work life but even being diagnosed with Crohn's last year I don't think it is for me (I had issues for years I feel it all just came to a head). I think it is very important to know what you are capable of handling in respect to work and figuring out if that will be able to balance it out. A lot of high pressure jobs bring in fantastic money but if it is at the expense of your health it will never be worth it.
Two years ago I interviewed for a slower pace job and was told I was overqualified. It's a catch twenty-two! Like you said, having the awareness that you cannot work in that intense environment anymore is half the battle.
Interesting read! I'm a nurse, and I worked for the last 5.5 years (4.5 as a nurse) in a BUSY level 2 trauma center as an ER nurse. I was living alone right after school, so I was working tons of overtime (54-64 hours a week) to get that 1.5x/hour pay. I was still in school online to complete my bachelor's too so I was just getting killed ALL THE TIME. Then again, because of working so much, I was able to take big trips to Europe every year and spend money without ever having to worry about my bank account. It wasn't until I started doing travel nursing and made a considerable amount of money more that I stopped working overtime and it was so much nicer not to be working all the time. Now, my husband luckily started working full time, so I no longer work much overtime. I started working 140-160 hours/month, and now that I started grad school, I work about 100-120 hours a month. I definitely miss that extra $2-3,000 a month, but honestly, I realize that the money isn't worth it. I've had more time to go to the gym, cook dinner, read books, and see friends. Not only that, but before I was getting home at 8pm (I still do on workdays) all the time, and now I get to see my husband at night! I'm glad it only took 5 years to realize that MY life is more important than being dedicated to work, and while it's hard to turn down all kinds of offers for extra pay to be at work, it's worth it. I'm just fortunate that I have the ability to work less and am not bound by bills to keep killing myself at my job. However, more than all of this (although stress is a HUGE health risk), I believe the food America allows is the absolute number one killer in this country. Anyway, great post!
You are quite fortune, but you worked hard to get there! Good for you for working hard and for recognizing when it was time to pull back and live your life. As for the food in America, while there is too much processed foods that should not be sold, I think many of us would choose to eat better if we didn't work ourselves sick. Glad you enjoyed the post Liz!
My boyfriend works in investment banking and has definitely experienced a large change in lifestyle when switching to his new firm. Even though work was done around 6 or 7PM, people would stay until 9PM or later just to "be there". It was always noticed and commented on if he left at 7PM, after putting in a 12 hour day. It seems crazy to me that this is the culture that we are encouraging. Finding a work-life balance is hard enough as a young person, companies don't need to make it any harder!
Your boyfriend's firm sounds a lot like the project I described!
I agree that the work life balance in corporate America these days is very UNbalanced. I've had many times in my life where I've had to work late night and weekends (for no extra money as a salaried employee) and it's never good for me.
Salary employees took a big hit after the downturn a few years ago. More is expected for less now.
Oh my gosh! YES! This describes my life at my law firm to a T! It wasn't about our productivity, it was about the partners' perception that if you were there late then you must be working hard and doing a good job. I remember how I would be one of the first people at the office besides the support staff in the morning (at 9:30am!) and I would be so frustrated by the lack of productivity. During the day people would just be chatting in each other's offices, talking about doing their work, having pointless meetings all so we could be there until midnight. I got so frustrated I just started spending parts of my afternoon doing other work (blogging). This was actually the catalyst for starting my blog because the environment I worked in was so unhealthy and had no work/life balance and nothing was supposed to matter but the billable hour.
Obviously, your post spoke to me! Haha!
I'm glad you liked it Britt! It's always more about perception & networking than about real work. What it also comes down to is too many people have their identify wrapped up in their career so that's all they know. When you are first introduced to someone they always ask your "what do you do?" Your identity is your job. Your career should not define who you are or fulfill a self worth void. Do you still work at a law firm now that you opened your business?
I was on mandatory 5-10s for over a year a couple years ago. 50 hours was the minimum expected. Add in a 45 minute commute each way and my entire life was spent around work and the little bit of recovery time I got. And yeah, someone can always say well just go find another job if you don't like it... but that's way easier said then done. I agree with pretty much everything you said, how at times I was just a warm body sitting at my desk. It isn't right, I don't want to suffer 30 years of that just to "make it" to retirement with whatever remains of my body and mind. My work situation now isn't as bad but still could be better. I do sit for most of the day and that is bad enough sometimes!
Your work hours & long commute so similar to mine. By the end of the week, I feel like a zombie. I feel like I'm living the real life version of the movie Office Space.
I've never really been in a full on corporate America situation, so I am not the one to ask about this. I can say that there are many reasons for rising health costs, that stress can indeed make you very sick, and that it is a a problem that both sides of the equation need to pay attention to. We have an imperfect system, but if we want to make it better, we have to act ourselves by increasing and investing (monetarily or not) in our own health.
You certainly have to make your own health a priority, but I will say there are consequences for doing so.
This is a tough one - my mom has worked in Market Research her whole career and works around the clock with no breaks for decades. She's been successful but there are far reaching impacts, no doubt. The strange thing is, it just becomes "normal" because that's what everyone does. Like with exercise, people believe more work is better.
I like the analogy of more work is not always better with exercise. Our bodies treat exercise stress the same as work stress. I only wish more people advocated for that.
And this is why I would rather work overseas. It's not as stressful. My plan is to go to Europe, specifically Austria. AND they pay you way more than corporate America does! 🙂
Good for you Alexis!