Workplace Overload: R U OK?
Can money buy happiness? If it were true, then it should be logical that we, as a culture, would be happiest in today’s modern society where the average personal income is higher than ever! Instead, researchers are now finding that complex problems are surfacing among today’s workforce, related to a rise in work hours for both men and women and affecting everyone’s job satisfaction levels. Our new round-the-clock work culture, of which connectivity and smartphones are just one aspect, is creating a generation of workers with more pressures.
With unprecedented demands, it’s worth asking a different question – whether we’re giving our people the tools they need to cope.
Article: The Biggest Problem with the Workplace is the Work
Many who work in an office find that coping with the strains of their workplace scheduling – whether their hours were too unpredictable or just scheduled too heavily in general – can be a daunting task, and some choose to simply suffer in silence for the sake of securing their paycheques. What’s more, researchers found that men and women tend to handle an overload of work differently, with women generally feeling freer to take advantage of flexible work policies (yet finding that the result is a stalled career) and men more likely to either comply absolutely and suffering in silence, or ignore scheduled hours and work at their own preferred times without asking permission.
Study: Women and Gender in Research on Work and Family Stress
R U OK? Day is coming up on September 10, and this national event aims to spark conversations. Asking the simple question, ‘Are you ok?’ can reveal hidden mental health problems, and help to create a workplace culture that’s conducive to openness and comfort in asking that simple but important question. If your company is looking to participate in this event, why not take it to the next level?
The official website has some ideas to get started. Make your event unique by hosting a Workplace Meditation Class, or an in-depth Stress Management Workshop. HSG can bring a resilient and open team culture to your organisation – call us today on 1300 889 073.
