Amy Pollick
Wealth of Geeks
Wealth of Geeks
Stress is something so many of us are familiar with, and it can be frustrating to deal with. About 75% of stressed-out workers have a higher incidence of anxiety and irritability, according to Dr. Liji Thomas, MD, writing for News-Medical.Net in 2021.
These chronically stressed people may also develop a weakened immune system, leading to a host of other issues, including sore muscles and headaches. Continued stress can contribute to a higher incidence of strokes and heart attacks.
But when it comes to our work lives, the stress manifests, and sometimes, it’s hard to find that balance between doing a good job and making sure we’re putting ourselves first.
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Work until you drop
Even if an employer offers paid time off (PTO), a Pew Research study found about 46% of Americans don’t take all the PTO they’re allowed. The study also reported about 49% of the respondents were worried work would pile up while they were gone. Another 43% were concerned their co-workers would have to take up their slack during their time off.
Promotions and job security are other reasons many workers don’t take all their PTO. About 19% of those surveyed said they feared taking too much time off would hurt their chances for a promotion, while 16% felt they might lose their jobs or be more likely to be laid off. As a result, about 51% of respondents report being satisfied with their jobs. Work-life balance is critical to job satisfaction and personal health.
JayDee Vykoukal, DPT with Health Means Wealth, agrees. “As a health professional (physical therapist), I see how daily stress affects every aspect of a person’s health,” she says. “With work as a primary focus, it’s difficult to prioritize things like exercise, self-care, and sleep. This can lead to injury, pain, burnout, or poor mental health.”
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Who’s working too much?
According to a Hotels 18 Years Check-in survey, retail workers are the most likely to avoid taking their PTO.
The survey reports that summer layoffs are highest in the retail sector. Many retail workers fear being next on the chopping block if they take all their PTO. At $15,000 per year, they also have the lowest average income, so the cost of living factors into their ability to take a vacation elsewhere, even if they do take earned time off. Retail employees generally only get ten days of PTO each year, inhibiting their ability and desire to take a vacation.
Workers in the travel and hospitality sectors also have limited PTO, according to the survey, but their average annual salary of $20,000 is higher than those in the retail industries. They also have a lower incidence of layoffs.
Technology workers have a much higher salary than those in retail and hospitality. They also average 15 days of PTO annually. However, workers in this field tend to work more overtime, averaging 45 hours per week.
Even with the fear of layoffs or falling behind, relaxing and recharging is still important. Jill Caren with Blue Collar Brain says, “Having always been a workaholic, I know firsthand the effects that a lack of work-life balance can have. Personally, it affected my physical health as well as relationships. Without proper balance of the two, we risk losing so much. Taking the time to assess proper priorities in our lives definitely improves mental and physical well-being — and makes our families much happier.”
—————
Tired employees cost money
A less obvious side effect of having stressed-out, tired employees is decreased productivity. Dr. Thomas says burned-out employees are also more likely to be depressed and sad, as well as have a higher likelihood of alcohol or drug abuse. Some employers may also expect their employees to prioritize the company over family responsibilities. These issues contribute to lower productivity via low employee morale, resulting in burnout and high employee turnover.
High turnover costs a company money. If an employee quits, all their experience and institutional knowledge goes with them. The company must then spend the time and resources to hire someone else, train that person, and allow them to acquire the experience necessary to be as productive as their predecessor.
“Depending on the individual’s level of seniority, the financial burden fluctuates,” Kate Heinz writes in Built-In, a community for tech companies. “For hourly workers, it costs an average of $1,500 per employee. For technical positions, the cost jumps to 100 to 150 percent of salary. At the high end, C-suite turnover can cost 213 percent of salary.”
Burned-out employees may also have more medical issues, which costs a company money in sick leave and lost productivity.
Sometimes, workers are affected by a co-worker’s example of prioritizing work over everything else. John Dealbreuin, with Financial Freedom Countdown, worked in the high-stress Silicon Valley environment and noticed that, even with high incomes, many of his co-workers and friends were stressed out about work.
“My VP, who was in her 70s, mentioned that her sister was not… well,” Dealbruin says. “I naturally assumed she would visit and asked about her travel plans. However, she did not want to take time off, given that we had a massive product launch coming up.
“Two weeks later, when we were in a meeting, she received a phone call. Her sister had passed away. [The fact] she was a VP, earning at least three times more than me, and yet was not having a healthy work-life balance hit me like a tidal wave. I decided to pursue early retirement so I could ensure having control of my time.”
—————
What’s the answer?
When companies face the consequences of dissatisfied, tired employees, they must consider solutions.
Alex Nguyen, VP of Products and Solutions at WebMD Health Services, has some suggestions. He encourages employers to model a healthy work-life balance for their workers.
“Once employees see their leadership team taking time to manage their home lives, they’ll feel more empowered to make their own boundaries and begin balancing work and life,” says Nguyen.
Nguyen also suggests companies eliminate the “busy work” culture, support young families, have dedicated lunch breaks, reduce the number of meetings — Zoom or otherwise — and generally make it easier for employees to take time off.
Sometimes, the solution is for the employee to leave the U.S. altogether for a better work culture elsewhere in the world.
Jen, with Expatsi, explains: “The average American worker only gets 11 days of PTO, and paid parental leave isn’t guaranteed. Every worker in the European Union (EU) is guaranteed four weeks of paid vacation along with at least 14 weeks of paid maternity leave and two weeks of paternity leave.
“Subsidized child care in the EU also relieves workers of the stress of covering those bills. Finally, employment isn’t ‘at will’ in the EU. All of these programs create better work-life balance for workers and put a greater emphasis on family and self-care.”
When companies help employees create and maintain a healthy work-life balance, everyone benefits.
These chronically stressed people may also develop a weakened immune system, leading to a host of other issues, including sore muscles and headaches. Continued stress can contribute to a higher incidence of strokes and heart attacks.
But when it comes to our work lives, the stress manifests, and sometimes, it’s hard to find that balance between doing a good job and making sure we’re putting ourselves first.
—————
Work until you drop
Even if an employer offers paid time off (PTO), a Pew Research study found about 46% of Americans don’t take all the PTO they’re allowed. The study also reported about 49% of the respondents were worried work would pile up while they were gone. Another 43% were concerned their co-workers would have to take up their slack during their time off.
Promotions and job security are other reasons many workers don’t take all their PTO. About 19% of those surveyed said they feared taking too much time off would hurt their chances for a promotion, while 16% felt they might lose their jobs or be more likely to be laid off. As a result, about 51% of respondents report being satisfied with their jobs. Work-life balance is critical to job satisfaction and personal health.
JayDee Vykoukal, DPT with Health Means Wealth, agrees. “As a health professional (physical therapist), I see how daily stress affects every aspect of a person’s health,” she says. “With work as a primary focus, it’s difficult to prioritize things like exercise, self-care, and sleep. This can lead to injury, pain, burnout, or poor mental health.”
—————
Who’s working too much?
According to a Hotels 18 Years Check-in survey, retail workers are the most likely to avoid taking their PTO.
The survey reports that summer layoffs are highest in the retail sector. Many retail workers fear being next on the chopping block if they take all their PTO. At $15,000 per year, they also have the lowest average income, so the cost of living factors into their ability to take a vacation elsewhere, even if they do take earned time off. Retail employees generally only get ten days of PTO each year, inhibiting their ability and desire to take a vacation.
Workers in the travel and hospitality sectors also have limited PTO, according to the survey, but their average annual salary of $20,000 is higher than those in the retail industries. They also have a lower incidence of layoffs.
Technology workers have a much higher salary than those in retail and hospitality. They also average 15 days of PTO annually. However, workers in this field tend to work more overtime, averaging 45 hours per week.
Even with the fear of layoffs or falling behind, relaxing and recharging is still important. Jill Caren with Blue Collar Brain says, “Having always been a workaholic, I know firsthand the effects that a lack of work-life balance can have. Personally, it affected my physical health as well as relationships. Without proper balance of the two, we risk losing so much. Taking the time to assess proper priorities in our lives definitely improves mental and physical well-being — and makes our families much happier.”
—————
Tired employees cost money
A less obvious side effect of having stressed-out, tired employees is decreased productivity. Dr. Thomas says burned-out employees are also more likely to be depressed and sad, as well as have a higher likelihood of alcohol or drug abuse. Some employers may also expect their employees to prioritize the company over family responsibilities. These issues contribute to lower productivity via low employee morale, resulting in burnout and high employee turnover.
High turnover costs a company money. If an employee quits, all their experience and institutional knowledge goes with them. The company must then spend the time and resources to hire someone else, train that person, and allow them to acquire the experience necessary to be as productive as their predecessor.
“Depending on the individual’s level of seniority, the financial burden fluctuates,” Kate Heinz writes in Built-In, a community for tech companies. “For hourly workers, it costs an average of $1,500 per employee. For technical positions, the cost jumps to 100 to 150 percent of salary. At the high end, C-suite turnover can cost 213 percent of salary.”
Burned-out employees may also have more medical issues, which costs a company money in sick leave and lost productivity.
Sometimes, workers are affected by a co-worker’s example of prioritizing work over everything else. John Dealbreuin, with Financial Freedom Countdown, worked in the high-stress Silicon Valley environment and noticed that, even with high incomes, many of his co-workers and friends were stressed out about work.
“My VP, who was in her 70s, mentioned that her sister was not… well,” Dealbruin says. “I naturally assumed she would visit and asked about her travel plans. However, she did not want to take time off, given that we had a massive product launch coming up.
“Two weeks later, when we were in a meeting, she received a phone call. Her sister had passed away. [The fact] she was a VP, earning at least three times more than me, and yet was not having a healthy work-life balance hit me like a tidal wave. I decided to pursue early retirement so I could ensure having control of my time.”
—————
What’s the answer?
When companies face the consequences of dissatisfied, tired employees, they must consider solutions.
Alex Nguyen, VP of Products and Solutions at WebMD Health Services, has some suggestions. He encourages employers to model a healthy work-life balance for their workers.
“Once employees see their leadership team taking time to manage their home lives, they’ll feel more empowered to make their own boundaries and begin balancing work and life,” says Nguyen.
Nguyen also suggests companies eliminate the “busy work” culture, support young families, have dedicated lunch breaks, reduce the number of meetings — Zoom or otherwise — and generally make it easier for employees to take time off.
Sometimes, the solution is for the employee to leave the U.S. altogether for a better work culture elsewhere in the world.
Jen, with Expatsi, explains: “The average American worker only gets 11 days of PTO, and paid parental leave isn’t guaranteed. Every worker in the European Union (EU) is guaranteed four weeks of paid vacation along with at least 14 weeks of paid maternity leave and two weeks of paternity leave.
“Subsidized child care in the EU also relieves workers of the stress of covering those bills. Finally, employment isn’t ‘at will’ in the EU. All of these programs create better work-life balance for workers and put a greater emphasis on family and self-care.”
When companies help employees create and maintain a healthy work-life balance, everyone benefits.
