Are You Spending Too Much Time In The Office?

In our business lives we’re continuously bombarded with two conflicting messages: in order to be happily successful you must achieve a healthy work-life balance and, if you want to achieve the best promotion you need to out-perform your colleagues. As a result, there is often a seen divide in office culture, as some people realize they spend too much time working and make a change, while others continue to immerse themselves in their work, feeling that working longer days is a virtuous thing to do.

Workers and employers are fully aware the importance of achieving and maintaining a balanced work-life. In fact, there are thousands of articles promoting how to achieve this wide-spread aspiration. Nonetheless, many workers continue to rebel against fostering such tactics and, to the annoyance of co-workers, remain to complain about the daily stresses of a workaholic.

Before you pat yourself on the back for being 100% devoted to your career and job, take a step away from your desk and question, are you really spending too much time in the office? Signs may include: arriving early to endeavor, regularly staying behind to complete tasks, not being able to commit to social plans, and piling on additional work which isn’t required from your contract.

What are you trying to achieve by spending large amounts of time sitting behind your keyboard?

If you’re a self-acclaimed workaholic, you must ask yourself: what are you trying to achieve by spending large amounts of time sitting behind your keyboard? You may be contributing to the growth of your company, working towards advancing your career, or justifying a pay cheque by meeting deadlines. However, working ridiculous hours to get ahead of your workload could be effecting your physical and mental health. Here is why you could be in need of a business detox:

Over-Working Leads to Stress and Illness

A recent study conducted by The Global Benefits Attitudes found that the level of workplace disengagement significantly increased when employees were experiencing high levels of stress. The study surveyed 22,347 employees across twelve countries including United Kingdom and United States, over half of which claimed high levels of stress left them feeling disengaged in work.

On the other hand, one in ten of those surveyed claimed low levels of stress left them feeling disengaged. The causes of high stress were also explored, half said that inadequate staffing was the biggest cause. The proportion of employees claiming high levels of stress was 30% in the US, slightly lower than the 34% in the UK.

Absence levels were also determined by stress, with highly stressed employees taking an average of 4.6 sick days per year compared to 2.6 days for employees reporting low stress levels. Further, employees which attended work when unwell and unproductive was 50% higher for highly stressed employees with an average of 16 days per year versus 10 days for employees claiming low stress levels.

With such results, it’s clear to see there is a connection between high stress levels from working too hard and engagement levels. Unfortunately we have all experienced the feeling of disinterest, and how the feeling contributes to being less productive. Furthermore, a higher absence was seen from those working under excessive pressure which demonstrates the severity of spending too much time in the office.

There is a connection between high stress levels from working too hard and engagement levels.

Working 9-5 Causes Physical Health Risks

A further study conducted by Real Business found that 62% of the UK and US workforce have taken additional duties on since the recession, while 39% admitting their spending too much time away from their homes. For many cases it’s not the requirements of the job that is too stressful, but rather the commitment the employee feels towards the company they work for. This commitment, although good for the company, is bad for employee physical health and mental well-being.

The Work & Health Research Centre at Loughborough University, found that the average worker spends 5 hours and 41 minutes per day sitting at their desk and 7 hours sleeping at night. Nearly 70% of those employees surveyed did not meet the recommended guidelines for physical activity. The findings shown that those who sit for longer at work are more likely to sit outside of work. As one would expect, there was a seen correlation between BMI scores and sitting time at work.

Hobbies Result In a Better Mental Well-Being

When we’re young, we’re faced with lots of opportunity to pursue new hobbies and things of interest, as we’re persuaded to participate in after-school clubs and engage in lessons. As we get older we often become insulated in work and family life, and these opportunities are quickly lost. However, it’s important to nurture an interest in activity and pursue hobbies outside of your working life.

Pursuing personal passions is essential for a well-rounded and satisfying life.

If you sat through and read the thousands of articles based on the much talked-about topic of work-life balance, you will know that there are multiple studies showing pursuing personal passions is essential for a well-rounded and satisfying life. Hobbies make for better goals, a chance to enrich your perspective, an oasis from the rest of your life and something to look forward to.

When seeking leisurely pursuits, you’re simply setting yourself a new challenge and a chance to see the world through refreshed eyes. A life without hobbies is a very dull, demanding, and unhealthy life.

In conclusion, if you find that your energy level is as good as your last strong black coffee, or you’re trying to outdial when making a phone call from home, you might just be overdoing things. And there are some potentially worrying side effective from spending too much time in the office. There is simply no substitute for a healthy you, so make sure to schedule some time in soon to pursue that hobby you have been putting off!

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Dawn Ellis

Dawn write for alldayPA telephone answering service, offering bespoke call handling services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Personally, Dawn is interested in design, marketing, social media, and all things digital.