The start of the next week is just around the corner and if you have a case of Monday Blues, that should tell you something about your work environment.
Although stress is something inherent when working a thriving business, it’s extremely important that you are able to tell apart everyday stress from stress that may put your health at risk. While some individuals are actually able to thrive within a high-pressure environment, stress usually takes its toll on most of us, often leading to damaging our health.
And considering that a study regarding Happiness at Work revealed that an average person spends 90,000 hours at work over their lifetime, you see why the work environment it’s so important.
So, here are some of the most common tell-tale signs that the work environment is harmful to your health.
1. Probably the most common of them all, the Monday Blues. If you simply hate Mondays and rise like a Phoenix on Fridays, it’s time to see what you can do to change that. It’s quite often that I hear a lot of people complaining that it’s the start of the week, wishing they were thousands of miles away or in bed sleeping till 11 o’clock. Most people can’t even enjoy Sundays just because they think the next morning they need to go to work. See how your mood is between Friday afternoon and Monday morning, examine how your stress levels fluctuate and how your mood changes. If your job brings you down every single time you think about it, maybe it’s time to try and find employment somewhere else.
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2. How are your eating habits? When working on a deadline, quite a lot of employees work through lunch. And if you are reading this, it has probably happened to you too. Actually, a lot of people, myself included, one time or another, grab junk food on the way to a meeting. Still, if your daily workload means that you are eating only fast food, I’ve got some bad news for you. You, my friend, have gotten the short end of the stick and your health will be at risk. Go out of your way and stop working during lunch break and start eating healthier.
3. In an ideal world, the workplace stress should stop when you go home. Still, this is not an ideal world and the workplace stress will carry on even after you go home. If you are constantly on a rush, from and to work every single day, feeling burned out, stressed and anxious, the effects of your job will start the moment you open your eyes in the morning and last long in the evening. It’s quite common that rush hour gets the best of any employee and it adds unnecessary emotional distress. Remember that you work to live, not live to work, so don’t neglect family time and time spent with your friends.
4. When did you last visit your doctor? Do you make a habit out of missing your medical appointments? Probably, if this were a dialogue, you’d be asking me “Who has the time to go to the doctor?”. For example, if you haven’t visited your doctor in a year or so, it is pretty safe to say that you are neglecting your health because you believe that maintaining a job, a career or even a business is far more important. Make a habit out of visiting your doctor two times a year to see if everything is alright with you. Also, remember to follow his/her recommendations for screenings, whether it’s eye exams, cholesterol checks or colonoscopies.
5. Being a doormat for your boss. The fact that you receive a paycheck each month does not mean that you need to be a doormat for your boss or that you should be subject to disrespectful treatment. This doesn’t mean you have to lash out, but rather you need to politely request for a different approach when your boss assigns you different work tasks or when he is providing feedback in relation to your work performance. If this happens to you quite often, you should start searching for a new work environment if you aren’t doing this already.
6. The people around you are constantly unhappy. Negativity within the office spreads like the black plague. If your colleagues complain on a daily basis about the work environment, the low morale levels of your colleagues will contribute to a toxic workplace. Although you are a positive person, being surrounded by negative people will ultimately damage your attitude and eventually your health.
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7. The constant state of emergency. Last but not least, the last tell-tale sign that you are working in an unhealthy environment is one in which emergencies are the rule and not the exception. While in some fields it has to do with the nature of the work, in others it’s just a result of disorganized business owners and coworkers. To determine something is or not an emergency could depend on both your attitude and mindset. Whatever the case may be, it’s not only unhealthy, but also frustrating. It’s no wonder you will feel burned out.
What other signs do you think turn an awesome work environment into a toxic one? Let us know in the comments section below.
