Cancel OK

Life’s A Beach

Achieving Work-Life Balance in the Twenty-First Century
Lifes A Beach

Larry Davidson, vice president of sales and procurement of North American Produce Buyers Ltd. in Toronto, ON, offers another perspective. He joined the family business in his twenties, at a time when the enterprise was struggling financially. To help the company survive, he put in long hours, six days a week.

“It wasn’t a great life, but it was an investment I needed to make,” he explains. Though the extended hours eventually led to success, it was nevertheless a sacrifice all too familiar for men and women entering the workforce in certain highly-demanding careers. A similar example is the field of medicine; aspiring physicians and surgeons go through extensive dawn-to-dusk training and back-to-back shifts, finally emerging to a more stable workday. The sacrifice may claim years of long hours and dedication, but the payoff eventually arrives, allowing workers to enjoy the fruits of their labor and more time for friends and family.

Davidson says he has a fairly normal schedule these days and makes a point to spend more money on staff to support the business, allowing him to spend additional time with his family. In terms of priorities, Davidson says it is hard to choose between business and family, because his business has always been a means to support his family. 

Stress Takes Its Toll
Certainly not all tales of sacrifice and long hours end in success. And in addition to work-related stress, there are also the usual stressors from family, friends, and home life. All can take their toll on the body. Stress-related disability claims are on the rise, and according to the Employee Assistance Professionals Association of Arlington, VA, from 75 to 90 percent of physician visits are related to stress. Further, the American Institute of Stress finds the cost of such medical claims to corporate America has been estimated at $200 to $300 billion a year.

Stress, of course, has both direct and indirect impacts on health, which can affect daily life on many levels. Long- and short-term stressors activate responses in the body, but because certain functions are not considered “essential” to survival, studies have found continual, longstanding stress factors can decrease immune function and cause digestion, intestinal, and even reproductive problems.

In addition, heart rate elevation can lead to high blood pressure and cardiovascular issues. Indirect consequences of high stress levels also play a role; for example, demanding work schedules limit time for exercise, healthy meal preparation, and sleep. Consequently, highly-stressed men and women often turn to unhealthy choices to cope—which then affect health and job performance—a vicious cycle.

Twitter