Here’s a new health alert. Being unhappy in your job may be more hazardous to your health than smoking or even having high cholesterol. Researchers at Tel Aviv University have found that the most “disenchanted” employees in an office are liable to develop 79 per cent more heart problems than their colleagues.
So how does one define “unhappy in your job”? More as burnt out, really. And that’s not as psychosomatic as it sounds. Occupational, or job, burnout is an actual health problem, best defined as “a state of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged work-related stress”. Doctors say a consistently heavy workload, lack of control over job situations, lack of emotional support from the boss and co-workers, and long working hours are the key triggers.
The current state of the economy doesn’t help. With so many companies cutting back staff, freezing hires, rolling back benefits and increasing working hours, the demand on good workers has significantly increased. Over the long term, this translates into a blowout at work.
The American Psychological Association’s David Ballard, who heads the association’s ‘Psychologically Healthy Workplace Programme’, explains it well. “Basically, the demands being placed on you exceed the resources you have available to deal with the stressors,” he says.
Funnily enough, the good doctors say, many victims don’t even know that they’re afflicted (till it’s too late). Instead, they keep putting in crazy hours at work, neglecting family, friends and health, and generally wearing their workaholism like a ‘badge of honour’.
So how do you know if you’re among the affected? Here are six clues:
• One clear sign of burnout is when you feel tired all the time. When it’s hard for you to even get out of bed in the morning, leave alone go in to work every day.
• When you find it difficult to concentrate on things. You may also find that you have a hard time recollecting even familiar names and numbers.
• When everything about the people around you—whether they’re your colleagues or boss or spouse or kids or maybe even the domestic staff—irritates you. This could go one of two ways: either you start squabbling with them every other day; or you find yourself withdrawing from everyone so even when you’re there physically, you’re mentally far, far away.
• When you find yourself combating insomnia every night and/or constantly coming down with headaches or stomach upsets or indigestion—and popping endless pills to combat the problem.
• When you’re far more pessimistic than you used to be and feel it doesn’t matter what you do, nothing is ever appreciated anyway.
• When you find yourself slipping into some real sloppy habits. This could include drinking or smoking too much, eating too much junk food or skipping meals altogether; not bothering about personal hygiene or how you dress.
Any (or all) of this sound familiar? In case the answer is yes, go meet your boss and see if she/he can help you prioritize your commitments and prune your working hours. That done, (re)focus on family and friends and take up a new (or old) passion. And yes, do give yourself at least a few email- and phone-free hours. ‘Unplugged’ doesn’t only mean a show on MTV.
shampa@newindianexpress.com