bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

quizIds

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

paywallTypes

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Rachel Autherson

AS THE OLD SAYING  goes - 'all work and  no play makes Jack a dull boy'.

In today's hectic working environment this applies more than ever before. Unless people find ways to create a better balance in life they risk stress and sickness, which lead to inefficiency.

A recent study titled 'Work-Life Balance in Hong Kong: A Survey' by Community Business and the University of Hong Kong, found that the average Hongkonger worked for 55 hours a week, well beyond the accepted five-day, 40-hour norm. Moreover, 80 per cent of respondents said they regularly worked unpaid overtime and  70 per cent worked late most evenings.

Not surprisingly, the majority of those questioned claimed to be suffering from stress and said they had no time for exercise. About half reported being exhausted and more than 30 per cent said they were suffering from depression caused by too much work.

Global research also indicates that stress associated with long working hours can contribute to heart disease and diabetes.

But it is not just our health that is affected by too much work. Although we are encouraged to think that putting in long hours is a prerequisite for success, in reality, overwork reduces our effectiveness.

People can easily spend more time in the office while actually achieving less. In some cases it is because employees, who are expected to do regular overtime, ease off. In others it is simply the result of staff being tired, lacking motivation or wishing they were somewhere else.

In a separate British study, a significant number of people admitted to making serious errors at work because of stress or exhaustion.

It thus becomes clear that when the job leaves little time for fun or relationships, the quality of work suffers. Many organisations are waking up to this fact and are taking positive steps to promote the health and well-being of staff.

In practice, though, it is up to the individual to make a change. This involves a conscious decision to prevent work from taking over and to restore a sensible balance to their life.

The crucial thing for many people is to acknowledge that they have distinct responsibilities and priorities both inside and outside the office.

A common mistake is to take on extra work to impress the boss. This inevitably means more time on the job and less time to pursue other interests.

Alternatively, long hours in the workplace may be a way of avoiding issues at home. Think carefully about your various obligations and keep them in separate compartments. Recognise that being the best at work is not the only way of feeling good about yourself, and establish a clear division between being on-duty and off-duty.

In addition, avoid the 'busy syndrome' at all costs. Don't use volume of work as a key performance indicator, or take pride in being under greater pressure than your colleagues. Quality beats quantity in almost every situation, so set clear personal objectives that emphasise achievement over activity.

Sometimes, finding the right balance is a matter of making practical changes. Work can always expand to fill the time available, so the first step is often to make other firm commitments that cannot be broken at the last minute. This might be something as simple as scheduling an art class for a Wednesday evening. It will force you to make time for things you value and could be all it takes to restore a sense of equilibrium.

Sometimes it helps to negotiate potential changes with the manager. Nowadays, companies are more prepared to consider flexible hours or working from home one day a week. Such practices may still be rare in Hong Kong, but in Europe employers and employees are recognising the benefits. There is no harm in proposing alternative work arrangements, especially if you can show how they could help the business. For example, flexible hours could be invaluable for someone with children, making it possible to remain in the same job with no loss of productivity.

You should also learn to draw boundaries and, when necessary, put your needs first. Decide what others can reasonably expect of you and refuse requests that overstep the mark. For instance, set a reasonable time to leave for home each evening and stick to it. Once people see your routine, they will start to respect it. The discipline will also help to prioritise and ensure that urgent things get done first.

When you stop being 100 per cent available for work, there is a risk of appearing unco-operative or of alienating others. Therefore, you must be firm, able to turn down unreasonable requests without apology and willing to offer alternative solutions.

So if a colleague calls you at home for an update on the sales results, you could simply say: 'I'm sure you understand this is my family time. I will forward the full report first thing tomorrow morning. If you need something before then you will find the basic data in the share file xyz123.'

What applies when 'training' colleagues to have reasonable expectations can be equally valid for clients. Once they understand your work routine and see that their needs are anticipated, they will not expect out-of-hours service for every little thing.

Of course, when you cut back the number of hours spent at work it is important to demonstrate an even greater commitment to success. This should not be too difficult once you get a chance to be re-energised by doing things outside the workplace.

Article sponsored by Gemini Personnel Limited, the trusted name in personnel

Balancing the wheel of life

Like a wheel, your life needs to be balanced and well rounded if it is to run smoothly. To see how well you are doing, try this exercise:

Create a pie chart with eight segments. These are for career, health and fitness, spiritual/religious life, hobbies/fun, family, friends, community involvement and personal development. Feel free to change the categories to reflect what is most important in your life.

Then, taking the centre of the chart as zero and the outer edge as 10, draw a line across each segment to indicate how satisfied you are with the amount of time given to that part of your life each week.

For example, if you value your health but don't rest or exercise enough, the line drawn in the health and fitness segment will be relatively close to the centre of the circle.

You will quickly see where your life is most out of balance. The areas where you are least satisfied clearly warrant the investment of extra time.

Come and join our FREE seminar to learn the tips from business leaders that will take your career to the next level.

Registration: www.classifiedpost.com/seminar06.html



Knowing when to stop is the key to efficiency