Imagine working four hours a day, nine months a year, and earning all the money you need to do exactly what you want with your free time.
That's how the average worker should be living now, according to predictions made a century ago. Despite the introduction of many labor-saving devices in the workplace and home, however, things haven't really changed. Harvard economist Juliet Schor found, by the 1990s, that people were working one month more each year than they did 50 years ago.
As Schor explains in her book, Overworked American: The Unexpected Decline of Leisure, the introduction of automatic washers and dryers simply resulted in an increase in time spent doing laundry. Laundry that had previously been sent out now stayed home, and standards of cleanliness went up.
For an employee, the consequences of this overload can be stress, burnout, and illness. For an employer, it can result in high turnover and poor performance.
Solving the Problem Addressing the problem of overwork may help companies retain good employees. A recent study by AON Consulting found that recognition of work-life balance issues is one of the top five drivers of employee commitment to a company.
Managers should be trained to spot signs that employees are overburdened: consistently working late, working through lunch, working through sickness, taking work home, rushing to meet deadlines, expressing frustration, not taking vacations, and so on. Overwhelmed employees may not always tell managers how they feel, so managers have to be intuitive. Good communication often helps to alleviate stress.
Keep these specific tips in mind, both for yourself and those who work with you:
Keep other basics in mind, too. Try your best to eliminate interruptions. Select a time of day when you will return phone calls and e-mails. Otherwise, let your voicemail take messages. You can also create an e-mail auto-reply to let people know their message has been received. If a brief e-mail says you will respond within 24 hours, it may deter someone from repeatedly trying to contact you.
Avoid letting other people's problems become yours. Richard Carlson, author of Don't Sweat the Small Stuff at Work, offers this advice: "If someone throws you the ball, you don't have to catch it." In other words, when someone comes to you with a problem, try limiting your contribution instead of taking on the task yourself.
When you are feeling overwhelmed, just say so. Most bosses will want to know when you are having difficulty. But don't just get flustered--offer some possible solutions. For example, if a major report won't be completed by a particular deadline, perhaps you could do a condensed version instead. The full report could be delivered later, or even farmed out to other co-workers.
These techniques may not guarantee the life of leisure envisioned by early futurists, but they can cut down on your stress and make work more manageable and enjoyable.
Tag Goulet is the CEO of Fabjob.com, a company that publishes e-books on how to break into a "fab" job. Visit www.fabjob.com for more information.
