Working non-stop will lead to burnout

NEW research is encouraging us to take a break from work and set boundaries between our personal and professional lives, after finding that failure to do so can lead to exhaustion.

Carried out by Ariane Wepfer and colleagues from the University of Zurich in Switzerland, the study looked at 1,916 employees from a broad range of sectors.

Most of the participants were married (70.3%), 55.8% were men, and the average age of the group was 42.3 years. Half worked 40 hours or more per week (50.1%).

The participants were asked to take part in an online study which looked at how well they were able to manage the boundaries between their work and non-work lives, how often they took work home, how often they worked on weekends, and how often they thought about work during their time off.

Participants were also asked to report on whether they made time to relax after work, such as to socialise with friends or do sports and other hobbies, and how careful they were to ensure that their work did not interfere with their private lives.

To measure well-being, the researchers look at how physically and emotionally exhausted the participants felt, as well as how well they felt they balanced work and non-work.

The results showed that those who did not organise a clear separation between work and free time were less likely to take part in activities that could help them relax and recover from the demands of their work.

This led them to feel more exhausted, a reduced work-life balance, and a reduced sense of wellbeing in different key aspects of their lives, says Welpfer, who also points out that productivity will be affected in the long run. – AFP-Relaxnews