The work life effort (balance is too relative) is important for wellbeing. I’ve recently found myself starting later and finishing later which works well for me. However, I used to work till 6pm in the office and that was too much. I was left with too little time to unwind or do personal tasks. Charity Job’s Adrian Johansen wrote a piece ‘Does Working Late Do More Harm Than Good?‘ which I will reflect on.
Working late can help with:
- Account management/customer service.
- Career development opportunities.
- Showing enthusiasm.
Working late may not help with:
- Establishing a workload that may be easier to manage, instead feeding the cycle of high workload.
- Wellbeing since you will be tired during your free time. For example, during my placement year I found myself using my free time to recover from work. Now I have a better schedule where I do as much as I can which I enjoy so tasks energise me. This allows me to buzz into my evenings and capitalise on my free time.
- Cuts back on family/socialising time.
- Chops time you may otherwise spend preparing food for the next day/few days.
- Johansen adds lack of sleep and movement.
Working late is a choice. Just like starting early. Whether you are paid for your time is another question you may wish to ask. Recovering after a day of work is important.
Stay You Stay Fruity.
Real Rubens.
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