MSG Team's other articles

11144 Role of Managers in Performance Management

The success of performance management practices in any organization depend upon the commitment and involvement of the different stakeholders like top management, line managers, employees and the HR specialists. Role of Top Managers in Performance Management The top managers play a lead in the entire process by setting trends for the lower rung and acting […]

12718 Changing Jobs Mid-Career or After a Few Years into the First Job

Lateral career moves are common in the corporate world and there are some specific strategies that one can follow when making a mid career move. First, one needs to remember that changing jobs a few years into the career is not like getting the first job and hence, the expectations as well as the ambitions […]

11125 Role of Human Resources in Employee Development

Employee development activities refer to initiatives taken by organization and employees to enhance their skills with time and keep themselves acquainted with the latest developments. Human resource professionals play an essential role in employee development activities. Human resource professionals play an essential role in creating a culture in organization where every employee takes trainings and […]

9754 HRM Strategies in Non Profits and How Similar and Different are They from Corporates

The Differences between HRM Strategies in Corporates and Non Profits As the name implies, non profits are those entities that are engaged in social activities and which do not exist to make profits. Instead, they are established and run with the purpose of serving society and zero sums accounting wherein the intake equals the cost […]

12782 Techniques for Collecting Data for Training Needs Assessment

The process of needs assessment happens at three stages or levels, the organisational, the job and the person or the individual. This is the basis for any needs assessment survey and remains the same more or less in all organisations around the globe. There are however many techniques for collecting the data for training need […]

Search with tags

  • No tags available.

An imbalance between the personal life and work life can have serious or adverse effects on the health and well-being. This imbalance usually occurs when the boudaries between the professional life and personal life are not clearly demarcated and followed with a discipline. Work-life imbalance leads to emotional stress, depression and anxiety.

Extensive studies and research on Work Life Balance reveal that, more than financial pressures or family problems, work-life imbalance affects the health considerably and may trigger serious complications if left ignored.

Let’s analyze the Symptoms of Work Life imbalance

  • Exhaustion: By working for long hours tirelessly and regularly, you may run the risk of being faced with both mental and physical exhaustion, end up messing up with all the fronts of the life due to confusion and tiredness.

    An exhaustive schedule if followed for a long time, may build up confusion, increase the susceptibility of mistakes at work and affect the overall productivity. Several problems occur such as lack of hand-eye coordination, poor reflexes, problems with concentration and the risk of accidents, injuries, liability or professional upsurges are few other hazards of an imbalance in the work life schedule.

  • Absence: Work-life imbalance increases the pressure of fulfilling professional commitments within stringent deadlines, as a result of which you may miss out on crucial events of the family such as anniversaries, birthdays or special moments of get together with the loved ones. Absence may badly impact the relationship with the loved ones and build up instabilities or pressures in the personal life.
  • Staying Away from Friends: Friendships are required to be nurtured by spending quality time with close friends. By dedicating a major chunk of the time to your career, you may end up being a loner. Friends are an integral part of our life and they act as the support system by being there during moments of stress or testing times.

    By having the support of the friends and loved ones, one can experience a sense of contentment and lead a satisfied life. But, for the friends to remain by your side for life-long, quality time needs to be dedicated and frequent communication must take place.

  • Increased Level of Stress: Work-life imbalance can add to the level of stress and increase the risk of various health hazards or lifestyle diseases like cardiovascular diseases, compromised immune system, Headaches & Migraine attacks, Backaches, Acne, Stiff Muscles, Nervousness, Irritability, Depression, Mood Swings, Weight Gain, Fatigue, Poor Self-Esteem, etc.

Let’s understand some of the signs of stress

  • People experiencing stress may find it difficult to control their emotions or deal with it.
  • Stress can lead to lethargy.
  • Increased stress can create problems with concentration or focusing, resulting in restlessness or hypersensitivity.
  • Anxiety can be the outcome of prolonged stress.
    • Obesity: Obesity is one of the harmful side effects of Work-Life imbalance problem, which occurs when we fail to pay attention to our dietary or exercise schedule in order to stay fit and health. Obesity is directly connected to the possibilities of heart disease or many other serious health problems.
    • Increase in the rate of Employee Absenteism: Work life imbalance always increases the risk of triggering major health related complications, and therefore, employee absenteism at the workplace which is a compounded cost for the employers and a challenge which may be difficult to be addressed. An employee’s absence involves many direct or hidden cost to the organization.

      Employees avail sick leave for which they are paid even in case of absence from work for certain days by providing a legitimate reason. Sick leaves are a direct cost to the organization. Apart from this, there will be a loss in productivity due to the increase in the level of absenteism in an organization.

    • Symptoms of Burnout: Research studies so far reveal that the employees who tend to overwork, eventually are subjected to burnout. Burnout can be expressed as psychological responses or may be expressed by way of physical responses. It increases the cost of the company because of its direct linkage with the employee turnover ratio.

How to understand that Burnout has taken place

  • Interest Loss: Employees experiencing burnout will not be able to focus on their work and will not give adequate attention to their work.
  • Emotional Upsurges: One experiences emotional upsurges or exhibits inconsistent emotional responses while facing the burnout issues.
  • Motivation Loss: People who are burned out will be less motivated to take charge of the challenges at work or will lack the passion to deliver their best.
  • Possibility of Depression: Burnout can make people more depressive and reach a stage of hopelessness or despair.
    • Increase in the Body Pain: Increased anxiety and stress can lead to an aggravation in the pains across various parts of the body in the form of chronic headaches, shoulder and neck pain. By making a change in the daily routine and paying attention to self-care, one can tackle this problem. By taking warm shower in the morning, treating yourself with aroma therapies or spa and taking a break from the hectic schedule may help in many ways.
    • Never Finishing the Projects: Various reasons could be there to explain why people never finish their projects within their scheduled deadlines. Few have been mentioned below:

  • Lack of Self-Confidence
  • Threat of Failure
  • Weak Gut Feeling
  • Lack of Goal Clarity
  • Perfectionism and Procrastination

One can overcome stress or at least keep it under check by practising yoga, breathing techniques, maintaining a routine for walking or exercising. Moreover, burnout issue can be addressed by grabbing ample sleep and taking breaks from the monotonous schedule. By having a hobby in life and experimenting with new hobbies periodically will also help in combating stress and burnout issues.

Article Written by

MSG Team

An insightful writer passionate about sharing expertise, trends, and tips, dedicated to inspiring and informing readers through engaging and thoughtful content.

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Articles

Benefits of Healthy Work Life Balance

MSG Team

Is a Four Day Workweek the Answer to the Epidemic Of Stress And Burnout?

MSG Team