The Covid-19 pandemic has caused many of our personal lives to be intertwined with work.
- Pre-Covid-19, many of us had distinct boundaries between the time we spend on work and the time we reserve for ourselves, our families and loved ones.
- However, as we spend more of the year working from home, we come to realise that this boundary we create for ourselves is slowly fading away, and this inevitably has taken a toll on some of our relationships, both with ourselves and others.
- Many companies, especially “time-greedy” ones, such as those in consulting and finance, also often require workers to work overtime, and with the current work from home situation many companies are facing, employees find themselves slowly getting burned out.
Companies need to start realising the need for the work-life balance.
- While many companies value employees who are able to provide them with the quantity of work, as well as employees who are able to work longer workdays, this may compromise on the health of employees and in the long-run, the productivity and hence performance of the organisations.
There are significant statistics that show the positive effect of a healthy mental health on employees!
- Areas most affected by workplace stress and anxiety include productivity (56%) and relationships with peers (51%) – Anxiety & Depression Association of America (ADAA)
- More than half of workers lose sleep because of workplace stress and a quarter say their work quality suffers due to stress – Wrike
- More than 40% of our creative ideas come when we are taking breaks or allowing our minds to wander – University of York, University of Florida
- Engaged employees are 28% more productive and teams with higher engagement levels see a 41% reduction in absenteeism and 59% less turnover – Gallup
Are we able to soon create a better system, one that fits real workers instead of idealised ones? Will we be able to emerge from this pandemic with healthier and better performing employees and organisations?