The Off Switch

Work-life balance is a term we hear more and more nowadays and I am enthused by this. It’s so important that people don’t lose sight of why they get up every morning to go to work. For many it’s a means to an end in order to pay the bills, for others it’s an opportunity to make a real difference and improve other people’s lives for the better. Whatever the reasoning I wholeheartedly believe that you need an ‘off switch’.

As a recruiter it can feel like your job is never really done, as my colleague said the other day ‘you always feel like you can do more’, whether it’s trying to find the perfect candidate or making that extra connection on LinkedIn that could open Pandora’s Box.

I’ve spoken to others in different jobs who feel the same way. Many a story has been relayed on to me about sleepless nights worrying about work. Some have even had to be signed off by the doctor as the job had made them seriously ill. That’s an extreme example but unfortunately one that’s all too common in modern society. When a job is adversely affecting your physical and mental well-being you need to ask yourself the serious question ‘is this worth it?’.  Yeah, you might have a fantastic basic salary and a lucrative bonus scheme but if it is to the detriment of your health I would be taking a long step back and looking at the bigger picture before it’s too late.

Being labelled a workaholic is paraded around like a badge of honour by some – I conversely see it as a major problem in an individual’s psyche where they haven’t got the ability to unwind and give the other aspects of their life the attention it deserves such as family, friends and watching the footy at the weekend.

I’m aware the above sounds preachy and a bit holier than thou but I have fallen foul of not being able to switch off from work in the past.  So from first-hand experience my advice when you get home would be to put the phone and laptop away and think or do something that takes you to a completely different place – even if it’s only for an hour or two.