Some days are more challenging than others and sometimes it’s best to reach out.
How many hours do you spend at work each week?
You may not have noticed…but it has had a profound impact on your behavior and not only within the confines of the workplace but also in your personal life.
Think about it! There are scores of individuals who you know right now, that work out of fear and or spend 40+ hours of their lives each week miserable and distressed. I have been one of these individuals and it is truly remarkable how much time we spend at work feeling hopeless or worse depressed.
Recently, I was taking inventory of all my jobs and experiences when I realized that most people (including myself) have struggled with challenging work environments.
Where I felt like a number and much like a tool. To put it simply, I didn’t feel valued, I felt used. Having served in the United States Air Force for 20+ years, I experienced my share of good and bad commanders, bosses and leaders.
Over time, I saw the terrible effects of poor leadership and the amazing effects that true leadership can have on individuals.
Over time, the persistent flow of a river gradually shapes and sculpts the stone through erosion. Although unchanging to the eye, the force of the water wears away the surface of the stone, smoothing its edges and contours, ultimately transforming it into a polished, sculpted form.
Through this natural process, the river showcases its power to shape and reshape the stone, leaving a lasting impact.
However, when a river flows too fast, it can cause damage to the stones it encounters.
The rapid and forceful current exerts excessive pressure on the stones, leading to erosion at an accelerated pace. The stones may be dislodged, shattered, or worn down unevenly, losing their original shape and integrity.
The relentless speed of the river overwhelms the stones, illustrating how excessive force can result in detrimental effects and alter their natural form.
Just as the river shapes the stones, it is no coincidence that the workplace environment (set by the leader) almost always influences the home.
What I mean is that how you are treated at work directly impacts how you treat your family and friends.
The skeptical person reading this will say
You might be a person where you feel that you are successful in compartmentalizing these two lives and have separated your home life from the hostile relationships, and tense interactions experienced in the workplace.
I believe you.
You have successfully setup the barriers needed to shield your home life from these effects and you are right…for now. Give it time.
It’s that sheer amount of time that is unbalanced between the two worlds of home life and work life where the behaviors and habits in the workplace will inevitably follow you home.
The demanding nature of a full-time job has many associated stressors that can shape a person’s attitudes, emotions, and interactions both at work and at home.
Have you, yourself, explored the specific ways in which spending 40-hours a week at work influences your behavior?
When drawing upon insights from research studies, books, and credible sources here are the effects the workplace has on your behavior.
Prolonged periods of work can lead to burnout, which can significantly influence one’s behavior.
Maslach’s Model includes three key components of burnout: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment.
Burnout shows that exhausted employees are more likely to display un-healthy behaviors such as cynicism, decreased empathy and reduced cooperation.
These emotions can not only impact your interactions with colleagues but also spill over into your personal life.
Spending a considerable amount of time with coworkers fosters the development of work relationships that can influence behavior both inside and outside the workplace.
For example, positive relationships at work can promote teamwork, collaboration, and a supportive environment. Conversely, conflicts or strained work relationships can contribute to stress, reduced productivity, and carryover effects into your personal relationships.
Striving to maintain a healthy work-life balance can be challenging when spending a significant amount of time at work.
Research by Greenhaus and Powell suggests that the demands of work can spill over into our personal life, leading to reduced engagement with family and friends, increased conflict in relationships and diminished overall satisfaction with life outside of work
The stress and pressures experienced at work can impact an individual’s emotional well-being, subsequently influencing their behavior at home.
In a study on Teacher’s Job Satisfaction in in northern Ontario, work stress can lead to emotional dissonance, irritability, and decreased emotional availability towards family members. This can strain relationships and disrupt the overall harmony in the household.
Spending a significant amount of time at work can leave individuals with limited energy and time for leisure activities, hobbies, and self-care.
Reduced time for relaxation and pursuing personal interests can lead to frustration, diminished motivation, and decreased overall satisfaction with life.
Spending 40+ hours a week at work has multifaceted effects on behavior, encircling both the workplace and the home environment. It is crucial for leaders and organizations to recognize these effects and work towards fostering a healthy work-life balance, supportive work environments, and effective stress management strategies. By doing so, your leadership can help cultivate your team members to have positive behavioral outcomes, leading to enhanced well-being both at work and at home.
If this article has somehow got you thinking about how you lead within your organization, I encourage you to follow me and check-in periodically as I continue to publish more on how to improve in your leadership.
Remember, even if you have made mistakes in the past as a leader or you are now recognizing the importance of how your decisions and behaviors impact the workplace environment, you now have the opportunity to start each day anew.
Join our weekly newsletter for Reborn Leadership
and unlock your full potential as a leader!
Some days are more challenging than others and sometimes it’s best to reach out.
No matter where you are in your organization or in life, you have an opportunity to start each day anew.
Copyright © 2023 Reborn Leadership. All rights reserved.