According to one famous CEO and author of The Overworked American, “People who work for me should have phones in their bathrooms.” Although many would agree with such ideology of working all the time, many employees are beginning to detest the idea of having work encroach every moment of their lives. The question every employer should ask themselves is, are they getting the best out of their employees by insisting on more work from home?
According to a survey it was discovered that 80 percent of workers take their work home. The research found out that
- 68% of people read emails before 8 a.m.
- 50% of people check emails while in bed
- 40% of people are still doing work after 10 p.m.
- 57% read work emails during family time
- 38% read work emails at the dinner table
Here are some reasons why unfinished work shouldn’t be brought home.
1. Employees bring spilled over problems home
In an interview with Time magazine, Alexander Trotman, chair of Ford Motor Co believes:
“You don’t get real productivity by simply ramping up the line speed…. In the beginning, everyone enjoys the extra pay; but we all get tired, pressures build up, people get edgy, and tensions break out.”
Bringing work home means that other family members have to endure the stress and tensions that arise from work as well as from personal family life.
2. It increases the risk of depression
According to a study, workers who work more than eleven hours a day are more likely to suffer from depression. According to researchers from the Finnish Institute, there is a link between working overtime and taking work home and depression risk.
3. It interferes with job performance
According to a study 52 percent of employees agree that taking work home tend to interfere with family or home responsibilities. With these statistics it is reckoned that job stress equates family stress as such stress affects the person’s work performance and increases their stress at work.
4. It halts physiological and mental recovery
Home is meant to be a place where we recharge and recover from the day’s workload and stress. By going home to relax and take your mind off work you can offer your body the needed recharge it needs. Yet many deny themselves from this benefit.
5. It doesn’t balance work and personal life
Somewhere along the lines of providing for your family and offering them the things they need, you also deny them the total attention they deserve by taking work home. Successful people know how to make a balance to get the best out of work and their personal life.
6. It doesn’t build your focus
Focus is important in getting things done. Maintaining your focus shows prioritization and how much you value your personal life and space. Retaining that and offering it the importance it deserves strengthens your vision, focus and attentiveness.
7. It doesn’t build your self esteem
Let’s face it, we all demand our respect and self worth. Perhaps that is what the home offers us. It makes us retain our personal identity and values. By being at home and leaving our work in the office we build our confidence and take charge of our lives.
8. It damages relationships
Just as much as our work demands our attention and energy, our relationships demand the same from us too. Somehow we need to keep away the stress from our relationships and offer it the attention and energy it also deserves.
9. It doesn’t offer us the adequate time to eat and sleep well
Distractions caused by taking work home could affect the quality of our sleep and what we eat. Sleeping and eating right has a rejuvenating and healthy effect on our bodies. By leaving work behind at the office you focus on your personal health and making the best use of your time at home.
10. It doesn’t help a better employer-employee relationship
Whether it is your company or that of an employer, you should know that you have a connection with work or your employer. But that has its boundaries. And relationships are built on understanding boundaries. Getting the best out of your business or offering the best to your employer demands never stretching boundaries.
Featured photo credit: pelinser at. via flickr.com
