STRIKING A FINE BALANCE
Juggling work and
life might not be easy early in one’s career. But figuring it out is necessary
for lifelong satisfaction
Working long hours is a way of life in Japan, and
it’s creating news for all the wrong reasons. After a 24-year-old employee of
Japan’s largest advertising firm killed herself in 2015, the government and
major corporations have started instituting work-life balance policies. In
Japan, it’s so common for employees to work themselves to death that there’s a
word for it: Karoshi. Some policies are zany, like forcing employees who work
late to wear purple ‘embarrassment capes’, and flying drones around the office
that play music when it’s time to leave.
A 2016 report examining karoshi cases and their cause
of death found that more than 20 per cent of people in a survey of 10,000
Japanese workers said they worked at least 80 hours of overtime a month. While
major corporations are forced to pay out (small) fines when their employees’
deaths are ruled as karoshi, there’s a wider movement in the country to attack
the root of the issue — an oppressive and overbearing work culture.
First, employees are pressured by management, and
their colleagues, to regularly put in work ‘off the clock’, that is, work they
don’t report as part of their overtime hours, lest they fall behind their
targets. And second, through an arcane portion of the Labor Standards Act,
companies are free to negotiate directly with employees for working more than
eight hours a day.
While Japan’s policies may sound unreasonable, there
is always a way out. Rethinking work-life balance needs to be taken seriously.
Here’s what you can do to judiciously take a break from the vicious cycle and
find your pace in the madness:
Learn to say ‘No’
It may seem difficult at first, but if you take on
all the responsibilities, you will be left with little or no time for yourself.
You will always be expected to do more work in less time, but it is up to you
to decide how much is too much and when is the time for you to take a break. If
you decide to finish the task in a hurry, it will lack quality.
While saying no, try to see if you can contribute in
some other way that may fit in your schedule. If it doesn’t just let it go and
do not feel guilty. It’s not humanly possible to devote your 100 per cent to
everything. So, it is okay to bail out occasionally.
Prioritise your time
Give yourself time to recharge and rejuvenate. Learn
to be selfish about your ‘me’ time as self-care is imperative. It is important
that you do a daily assessment of your activities and analyse which ones are
consuming the maximum time. If you think that certain tasks can be completed in
less time, aim to do that the following week. You can then utilise this time
and spend it with your family, friends or to simply pursue a hobby.
Establish boundaries
No matter how busy your work calendar gets, don’t
forget to get your dose of ‘me time’. Keep your communication clear with your
organisation and superiors about your availability post work hours.
Keep a check on how often your work infringes upon
your quality time with loved ones. Don’t fall into a pattern of working round
the clock. Exercise, meditate and socialise — these things will keep you happy
and productive in the long run.
No one is perfect
In the bid to become an overachiever, one often tends
to lose out on the other fine aspects of life. Avoid burning yourself out by
constantly trying to excel in all spheres of life. To err is human. You will
realise that life will become less complicated if you take it easy and not
strive towards exceeding your own expectations.
businessinsider.in
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