81,396 hours – That is how much of life most of us spend working!
Sleeping comes in at second place – wow! That is incredible!
While workers are spending so much of their life at work, let’s check in to see how it is going.
According to the Gallup World Poll, the average full-time worker spends 41.36 hours per week working. If you assume people work 48 weeks per year, it means people spend 1,985.28 hours per year working. Life expectancy is 73 and, according to the OECD, people retire at about 63. If people begin working at 22, then the average person works 41 years. Forty-one years of work at 1,985.28 hours per year is 81,396 total hours. This estimate is conservative and may even be low; another estimate finds that people work over 115,000 hours in a lifetime.
We may find that a great deal of our workforce is not happy. Many are not engaged, are not involved in reaching organizational goals, and may not even like the company for which they work!
Comedian George Carlin once quipped, “Oh, you hate your job? Why didn’t you say so? There is a support group for that. It is called “EVERYBODY,” and they meet at the bar.” Though that joke is funny, it is about being unhappy and that is not funny – it is sad.
We work to feed our families, keep a roof over our heads and retire peacefully. It is a “must do” once you become an adult. There is usually no escape – with few other choices to fund your lifestyle. Though a part of the population works just to keep busy, my thoughts are that is a small percentage of the working group.
“Work,” is described in the dictionary as “activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result;” “activity in which one exerts strength or faculties to do or perform something;” and “activity that a person engages in regularly to earn a livelihood.”
Even the description makes one cringe! – no mention of enjoyment, happiness, or fun – we should not expect work to be fun – at least not all the time.
Well, let’s look at a few things being done to make work better!
Lately, organizations have begun trials of distinct options to make “work” seem less laborious and defeating.
- A favored method at present is the “virtual office” where employees can work from anywhere. Most will choose a home office, but some take to a new city, or even a resort location – usually only a laptop and internet access are the only equipment needed. This method has proven very enjoyable for employees. It is also popular with organizations who manage to save on the expenses that come along with leasing office space.
- Organizations can offer flexible working hours. Certain hours of the day require a full staff – these “core hours,” are the busiest times. Employees can work staggered hours or even split shifts if the core hours are covered. This type of arrangement can free employees to manage the personal tasks of life.
- Other employers allow their staff to work longer hours during the day, but less days during the week. For instance, working ten hours a day for four days allows for three days off, instead of the normal two. Employees have voted in favor of this type of work arrangement because they can save gas and other transportation costs as well as alleviate the stress of the daily commute.
But work location, hours and scheduling are not always enough to ease the pain of having to come to work a job you do not like, with people you may not be very fond of. We want our employees to be happy, right?
For example, employees are not always able to shake off the negative feelings they experience at work. Employees can still feel the sting of something that went on at work once they have left for the day. Bringing that baggage home can interfere with marriages, keep employees from engaging in their children’s activities and prevent relaxation and enjoyment. Once they return to work, they have not had a reprieve, so it feels like they never left. Fatigue sets in and the “Monday Morning Blues” is no longer just for Mondays.
Are there any solutions to such fatigue?
Yes! Start with examining what it feels like to work in your organization. According to Bamboo HR’s “Definitive Guide to Company Culture”, Company Culture is “a shared set of workplace beliefs, values, attitudes, standards, purposes, and behaviors”.
There are lots of ways to express the culture. Here are four brief examples:
- The assignment of work – how is workload managed, who decides the assignment and is it fair? It may or may not be equal, but do employees understand how it’s done and feel work is fairly distributed.
- Promotion opportunities – are they posted and made available? Does leadership engage to support and supply training and tools to make advancement possible? Do employees see promotions from their areas?
- Pressure to perform – do employees feel badgered to work even when they are sick or when other personal issues arise? Is management empathetic to the unexpected situations that come up?
- Working together – do departments and teams get along? Is the environment one of collaboration?
Most importantly, Company Culture starts and ends with Leadership. Provide leaders with the tools, training and support they need to creative a vibrant culture where people can grow and thrive!
Leaders also need to interact with their team. Understanding the priorities and preferences of the team, and the motivators and distractors, can help leaders inspire employees to perform at their professional best.
Beverly Hathorn Consulting has assessment tools, workshops and training that will help leaders connect with their employees, and foster a productive, collaborative, harmonious working environment that creates high-performing teams!
Contact us today to learn more about our affordable, flexible plans and options!
