While meetings are an inevitable part of office life, there are times when we have found ourselves sitting in a meeting, drumming our fingers and wondering why on earth we have been roped into it. Or on the other hand, are managers calling meetings galore as a way of coping with mounting workloads and use these as a tool to keep up with what's going on in the office?...
Joke aside, there is a serious message. A release from Legal & General:
"Almost one in four, 23%, full-time British workers never take a break from work and 7% do not even take a holiday.
As part of an ongoing study of Briton’ health worries and perceptions, Legal & General questioned over 2,000 people, including 942 full-time workers, about health anxieties they had during the last three months.
The impact of not taking breaks
Those people who do not take breaks at work, more than one in five, 22% said that they feel stressed by their daily routines, 23% also worry that they do not get enough fresh air and 17% are concerned that they are not doing enough exercise.
Almost double the people working non-stop through the day, 29%, also said that they are concerned for their health because they do not have enough time to follow a healthy diet, compared with only 17% of all Brits being concerned about a healthy diet.
Senior management are the least likely to take breaks from work, 29% working through the day, compared to 16% of people in non-managerial roles.
12% of senior managers say that they don’t take holidays from work, compared to a national average of 5%.
People at the top of the career ladder are also the most likely to say they work too many extra hours, 32% compared to 12% of people in non-managerial positions.
Commenting on the research findings Dr John Delfosse, company medical officer for Legal & General’s group protection business said: “Work is very important to many people providing purpose, self-worth and fulfilment, but for some, particularly those with heavy work responsibilities, they may become absorbed in their daily routine and so do not take timeout for themselves during the day. This can lead to increased pressure and stress, which if prolonged may take its toll on a workers physical and mental wellbeing."
Comments (2)
Posted by Steve Miller | September 30, 2007 1:31 PM
Meetings are a necessary part of business life. However how many of us have attended a meeting for it not to have achieve anything?
Meetings can often be stuffy with an underlying tension if the chair is in a bad mood. I would estimate a third of meetings are ineffective because of poor chairing, lack of focus on results and dreadful time management.
I have to say that when I spent time in the public sector my diary was often packed with meetings I was instructed to attend. These meetings often resulted in no decisions being taken. What a waste of public money.
It is important to take breaks but I am afraid if you hold a senior position there will be times when you need to work twelve hour days with few breaks. That's corporate life for you and if you can't stand the heat you know what to do.
Don't get me wrong, I consider it essential to take holidays and have lunch and a break for a cup of tea or coffee. But there are times when this ideal is impossible. Senior people should concern themselves more that their staff get the breaks.
Posted on September 30, 2007 13:31
Posted by Aly | December 12, 2007 8:29 PM
Were they asked why? Is it a fear of someone coming up and leapfrogging them up the career ladder?
Whilst some people find having a work life balance is important to them, others do not. Some people are simply just passionate about their jobs and chose to spend their time at work rather than doing sports etc.
Perhaps some coaching would help they get back to basics, have a life check up and decide what is truly important to them.
Posted on December 12, 2007 20:29