The first thing to say is that outsourcing is not just about saving money but it actually makes it easier to achieve work-life balance. Let’s say you’re a middle manager who spends 10 hours every day doing your real job (sales and marketing) and 20 hours every day managing people who do things that could be done better by someone else (payroll, IT). If you give those tasks away, they’ll still take up 20 hours every week, but now you have more hours a week for other things.
The state of your work-life balance has crucial impacts to your family. Do you have a healthy work life balance? How do you feel in the morning when you wake up to get ready for work? Are you upbeat and excited to go to the office or are you filled with dread and anxiety about the day ahead? Take a look at the effects your work life balance can have on your life.
Manifestations of an Unhealthy Work-Life Balance
One of the biggest symptoms of stress is a decreased in the ability to sleep. In most insomnia cases, an increase in stress or stress triggering events are reported. Stress and a lack of sleep combined can make concentration difficult, dull your brain’s ability to decipher appropriate “fight or flight” situations, and increase poor decision making.
Less Sleep
If you’re working late at the office or taking your job home with you, you may be pushing your nights later and later trying to get everything accomplished before the next day. You may also be waking up early to get a head start on the day. However, doing this can be causing major health problems for you and reducing the quality of work you produce.
Effects of Lack of Sleep to Your Physical Health
Those who regularly skip out on the recommended eight to nine hours of sleep are more likely to have heart problems including increased risk of heart disease, heart attacks, heart failure, and irregular heartbeat. Sleep deprivation also leads to other serious illnesses such as high blood pressure, increased risk of stroke, diabetes, and premature death.
Effects of Lack of Sleep to Your Work Performance
While a lack of sleep can cause serious physical health problems, don’t discount the fact that there are also severe mental health problems that may also arise from skipping out on shuteye. Individuals who skip sleep in favor of other activities usually experience decreased alertness, memory/cognitive impairment, impaired judgment, and are at a higher risk of occupational injury. When you aren’t at your best mentally, your ability to produce high-quality work and make smart, sound decisions suffer greatly.
The definition of a healthy work life balance is having a set of clearly defined and regularly enforced boundaries between work and home life. Without these limits, one may start to experience a long list of health problems that affect not only them but their family and loved ones as well.
Exhaustion
Working long hours can and often does lead to physical and mental fatigue. Fatigue diminishes your hand-eye coordination as well as your ability to think clearly and make rational logical decisions. You’re more likely to make mistakes and be less productive when your mind isn’t sharp.
Absence
When your work life balance is out of sync, you may end up missing important family events or milestones. Your children grow up without you around, and you may become the parent that was “always too busy.” When you don’t have a proper balance, your loved ones may start to feel unappreciated and draw back.
Lack of Close Relationships
Friendships are important for experiencing a fulfilling life. They are a crucial part of your support system and can help motivate you and lift you up. Your friendships suffer if you aren’t spending the time it takes to nurture and grow them properly. You may start to find yourself alone more often when you have a poor work life balance.
Increase in Workload
The longer the days you put in at the office, the more work you will be given in return. You may start off thinking that they give you the extra work because they know you are dependable, however, this might not always be the case. Just because you CAN take on a heavier load, doesn’t necessarily mean you SHOULD at the cost of your healthy and home life.
Too Much Work and Too Little Play Can End Up in Increased Stress Levels
If you find that your work load is overwhelming, causing you to dedicate more and more of your personal life to get caught up, you may be destroying your health without even realizing it. While many people know what stress is, not many know that having too much of it for an extended period of time can kill you.
Stress and Your Overall Health
Everyone needs time to unwind and participate in activities they enjoy. If you are experiencing less and less of that personal time due to stress at work, you can seriously damage your life expectancy. Physically, increased prolonged stress can result in a decreased immunity and stress-related alopecia – or significant hair loss. You may also experience a decline in dental health, increased skin problems, and a slew of mental health issues including social isolation, loneliness, depression, and substance abuse.
How Technology Can Help Improve Your Work-Life Balance
Nothing is worth your physical and mental health. Your work will still be there in the morning. At the end of the day, when you walk out of the office, leave your day behind. Go out and enjoy the things you love. If you’re working on outdated technology, that may be harder to do. You may be stressed about the printer not working or your server crashing.
Troinet can make the work portion of your work-life balance better by implementing the technology you need to run your business better. Give us a call and find out how we can improve your work-life balance.
Top 10 Places to See for a Greater Work-Life Balance
When you aren’t stressing about IT network security, here are some places to check-out.
Too many business owners stress about their IT network security. Are they protected against hackers? Are they maintaining regulatory compliance such as HIPAA, SOX, and PCI DSS? What would you do if you no longer had to worry about your IT network security? Would you travel? Here are the top ten must see places to visit.
- Marrakech, Morocco
Marrakech, Morocco is filled with unique markets, beautiful gardens and palaces, and historical mosques to explore. It’s filled with rich culture and ancient history to satisfy your inner history buff. - Siem Reap, Cambodia
Siem Reap is full of overgrown temples and ruins of Angkor Wat and is home to one of the largest religious complexes in the world. If you want to discover other cultural religions, this is the place for you! - Istanbul, Turkey
Istanbul is the marriage of Europe and Asia. It features breathtaking architecture blended with contemporary nightlife and eateries. Istanbul is the perfect place to indulge in your inner foodie. - Hanoi, Vietnam
The Vietnamese capital, Hanoi is a centuries old city rich in lakes, parks, and boulevards. It’s aged well, and travelers can find modern developments sprinkled in with the city’s monuments and colonial architecture. - Prague, Czech Republic
Prague, Czech Republic is the birthplace of the bohemian movement. This fairy-tale city is home to some of the world’s most beautiful architecture. Surround yourself in Prague’s rich culture and dine at it’s classic Czech taverns. - London, United Kingdom
Home of the Queen, London, United Kingdom blends English fashion with art, food, and British ale for an unforgettable experience. This city has a little something for everyone: shopping, eateries, music, and history. - Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy is packed with Roman ruins and breathtaking historical sites. Plan on spending several days touring this magnificent city. You’ll want to shop the open air markets and sample some Italian espresso or gelato while you’re there. - Buenos Aires, Argentina
Staying in the Americas, Buenos Aires is a seductive city. It boasts being the birthplace of the Tango and features a never-sleeps nightlife. For shopping lovers, this is the perfect place to visit, as it’s Latin America’s shopping capital. - Paris, France
Ah, the city of love. This is a great destination for lovers and singles alike. Sample Parisian food and shop one of the world’s fashion capitals. Don’t forget to take a snapshot of the Eiffel Tower while you’re there! - Cape Town Central, South Africa
If you love nature, Cape Town is the perfect destination for you! Enjoy the beautiful beaches and explore the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. This beautiful town was also the place where Nelson Mandela was held for almost 30 years.
Your Destination Awaits
When you place your IT network security in Troinet’s hands, you can gain the peace of mind to go wherever your heart desires. They’ll make sure your network is strong, defending you against online hackers that threaten your IT network security. They’ll ensure your company is operating within all the required compliances for your industry. They’ll even proactively manage it for you to stop threats before they grow into problems.
So what are you waiting for? Give us a call and start packing your bags! Don’t forget to send us a postcard when you get there!
