Excessive overtime work is not 'hard work'

It's inevitable for 'Employees' to work longer than the expected working hours and for 'Employers' to demand working beyond the regular shift due to some circumstances - either you are caught up on a tight deadline, some last-minute adjustment for the next day's presentation or simply because your colleague has to attend to some emergency and you have to cover up some tasks for the team. Be whatever it is, sometimes we need to call off some dinner invitation because we need to finish occasional late errands at the office. But extending beyond the normal 8 - 9 working hours every day or most of the day does no good for both the employee and the employer.

There are different types of employees whose productivity depends on how they adjust to their environment. While different professions demand different learning styles, we must adapt to what makes us healthy at the workplace - making us function efficiently every day as the job requires us to.

Some employees prefer working beyond the normal shift because the environment is relatively controlled with less distraction. This pave way for their focus to continuously be to complete the task for the day. Personal reasons do count as well, either you are waiting for someone else's duty to finish since you both are going back home in the same car, etc, or using the same mode of transportation back home. Some do stay back for some time just because they are just killing time for the traffic to be over. We all have our reasons why we stay back, these reasons should as healthy as it can for our mind and body, at all times.

Employees who do overtime work does not simply justify that they are hard-working employees. While it is commendable in certain projects, in a general prescription, excessive overtime working habits pull your performance down at the workplace and resulting in unbalanced time management, health issues, and high turn over rates. While I do not oppose the preference of employees who stay back at the workplace, here are some of my reasons why we should not consider it as a habit - more so, as a Company culture.

1. WE LIVE NOT TO WORK

There is a lot to embrace in life aside from your title, your function, and your position at the workplace. You have family waiting for you to come home and enjoy dinner with. You have friends who are eager to share anything about the trending and the latest buzz. You have children excited to play with you before their bedtime stories. You have a partner who just wishes to be with you in the living room, lazy watching your favorite movie series, or just keeping up with the craziness of each other. And most importantly, you have a life to enjoy - go out, have fun, and make the most out of your day. Work will always be the same comes the next day. Give yourself a healthy break.

2. WHAT YOU DO AFTER WORK MAKES YOU EFFECTIVE AT WORK

This has been my living work etiquette ever since I landed a job. During my formative years at work - I somehow needed to stay back because I need to feel the perception of being a hardworking employee, that I am being measured by the time I spent at the office. But soon after, I started feeling very dry every morning because of a lack of sleep and some health-related issues for not having a well-rested evening. Then I started to change my mindset that what I do after work, will benefit my mind and body for the next day's routine. I started exercising after work, engaging time with my friends, catching with my loved ones remotely, and some personal preferences that make me happy. Though I stayed late due to some social engagements, it's not something that my body will feel tired of because my mind pulls over the inner strength that I needed to keep me on my feet. I enjoyed a good amount of time after work which will make me happy to come to work the day after. Recharged and refreshed both mind and body.

3. HEALTH IS WEALTH

Needless to say, though we have the medical insurance which keeps us to be treated, it is not something that we would want to avail simply because we have the means to do so. This should not be an excuse for us not to look after for what makes our body healthy. Those who have excessive overtime habits may increase risks for high blood pressure, mental health problems, back injuries, and even heavy cigarette and alcohol consumption for some depending on their force of habit and coping mechanism. It can also be a safety risk for those who are driving after work since it may cause fatigue-related problems. In our generation these days, we have an adequate time and means to use the technology, and the longer we involve ourselves, it gives us a much higher rate of eye problem, hand restraints and injury, and all body composition uncertainties. Health is wealth, we cannot afford to be sick or to be physically drained just because of our working habits.

4. WE ARE UNPRODUCTIVE AND WE RESIGN

We have five (5) days a week and those who have excessive overtime habits see themselves dragging each day until the week is over. And as much as they wanted to enjoy the weekend, they just need to stay back home to compensate for the number of hours spent at the office during weekdays. Not healthy right. Studies even show that a person who works 70 hours a week doesn’t produce more than someone who is working for 55 hours. Productivity begins to fall for people who are working more than 50 hours a week. This practice results in a high turnover rate for the Company. Employees cannot take the fatigue and the stress of excessive overtime work and they start to look for a healthier option of employment. 

5. NOT A HEALTHY COMPANY VALUE

When you are known for your excessive overtime habits and you needed to go home on time one day, people will either be happy for you that you made it on time, or they'll make fun of you by saying that you're doing a half-day duty. Why? Simply because you have already created the culture of always working late / over and beyond the working hours, and for the Company it's normal, accepted, and even recognized. That danger comes when Culture has become a hard habit to break that you are being measured, reviewed, and treated by the amount of time you spent at the office. You come to work on time, finish duty on time, and enjoy the rest of your day. You should not be afraid to finish duty as per your agreed employment commitment just because people are not doing the same. It is a great opportunity for you to kill a bad habit. Time management is not the only preposition why people cannot manage to finish duty on time, it's also how they position themselves towards the Company values against their personal philosophies. People who spend a healthy amount of time at the office do give a favorable result to the Company's success with their performance and healthy disposition. It's a mutual success and it should always be the goal forward for everybody.

Wait, don't tell me you needed to stay some time at the office just to read this blog? Go home and enjoy the life ahead of you! Tomorrow is another day, and you have an equal opportunity to make it better as well. You take care!