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Befriend Yourself

by Ailish M. Nic Phaidin
Brevard Technical Journal

I had great sympathy the other day for a friend who bemoaned the length, and ever lengthening, of her hours at work. "Man, I think they think I'm made of stone", she said. That's a lot of thinking thoughts. After all that thinking, one would have thunk that she would have pinched herself to see if she was indeed made of stone.

OK! You can do without the cynicism! But, can you do without the sympathy, the lengthening hours, the thinking thoughts, and the lack of sleep? That doesn't include family life, social life, love life; or indeed the time for a frequent leisurely bath in a sunken tub with all the bubbly stuff enriching your tired bones and maybe, just maybe, if when you're inclined upon such a path, a little glass of the "other" bubbly in your salivating fist might not go astray. Of course, that would, of necessity, exclude the persuasive argument that you should really, truly, do "something" with the twenty-five files you brought home from work so you could "catch-up."

My bemoaning friend is caught in a snare like a rabbit in your high beams. What to do? Jump ship? Keep swimming? Consider the mortgage? Consider the shiny new car in the garage (which is owned by your now-friendly bank manager)? Make waves at work to ease the pain between your shoulder blades? Run off to Tahiti with your neighbor's husband? Sell everything? Or just, keep quiet, keep doing the rotten 50-60 hours a week at work (you only get paid for 40!) and trudge home every evening - sometimes night- to a TV dinner with your equally work-besotted spouse?

Work-induced stress is the name of this particular rabbit.

None of these options are user-friendly if you are in a situation at work where you are expected to work 50-60 hours a week every week and still be a team player.

Recently in Ireland a survey by the Small Firms Association reveals that stressed workers lost almost 4 million (yup - million) working days in 2003 at a cost of over 172 million Euro. The survey also found that the average number of days lost for large companies are 10.5, for small companies the average was 5.9 per person.

Patricia Cullen, Assistant Director of the Small Firms Association said of the survey, "This takes no account of the lost productivity, the impact on flexibility, faulty decision-making, less productive workforce, overtime payments as a result of the need to cover for absent staff, and the requirement to replace absent staff with other workers. The overall cost in reality runs to hundreds of millions."

According to the International Labor Organization 4% of Gross National Product in the U.K. goes to treat mentally ill employees who suffer from, amongst other things, work-related stress. The World Federation on Mental Health is now predicting that by 2020, the primary cause of lost working time will be stress.

In a survey in the U.K. by the chartered accountant firm, MacIntyre Hudson, they found that 59% of owner managers consistently work outside the average 40-hour workweek. The survey also found that 32% of European managers of small firms work more than 70 hours per week.

My friend wanted to take a long weekend with her partner in Georgia. Because her manager was in a "very bad mood" the day she needed to ask her for the one days leave, she said nothing. Now, how can one say nothing? That's simple. One crawls back to one's desk, fixes one's mind on the sight of Georgia, draws a deep breath, tucks one's tummy in, and seethes.

Of course, this is an extreme case. Not every employee will react in that way. Some will, unfortunately, act in a much worse manner either in the workplace or in the home; or both.

Europeans are allowed an average of 30 days annual leave each year, excluding national holidays. We in the U.S. are lucky if we get a week without the feeling that we really can't take any more. We may take a few elongated weekends as well, usually to dash off somewhere for a family event or to see a friend; but that couldn't possibly be measured as a "vacation." Sorry, my fault - yes it is.

We've all hunkered down in our bunkers and we expect that our human staff will all continue to crank out the same amount of quality work on a continuous basis year in and year out. If my friend's frame of mind and physical lack of well being is any indication of how the long and lengthening work hours are affecting our workforce generally, then I have a nasty feeling in the bottom of my gut that the year 2020 is almost upon us. Bosses and managers: at least give your employees praise, an occasional ould certificate of appreciation, maybe even squeeze the budget for a slim-line office party. Better still, give them an occasional day off in lieu of the unpaid work they are doing. And, take care of yourselves too.

Employees: Befriend yourself, go home on time at least once a week, take all your annual leave (it's small enough), and indulge your frivolities occasionally with a well-deserved something you'd love and nobody will buy for you. Good luck.