Peter Gutwein, the Tasmanian premier, has recently reduced his work commitments in order to concentrate on his health. He has also handed several portfolios over to his colleagues. It was 46 days of hard work that culminated in finalisation and delivery the budget. He said that I had hit the wall and was very unwell.
For 120 days, the Victorian premier Daniel Andrews was front and center at media conferences last year. After Victoria fell, he stopped briefly to rest.
Working on a continuous basis is too much. This can lead to the dangerous.
Overwork can be linked to physical problems, such as premature death from heart attack or stroke. There are also a variety of cognitive consequences like increased errors, mood fluctuations and motor impairment.
Gladys Berejiklian, the New South Wales premier, seems to be following Andrews' lead in terms of how intense her media engagement and work. The chief health officers from various states spoke out about their 20-hour work schedules. Anyone involved in managing, analysing, or mitigating the pandemic, including nurses, doctors, supply chain managers, journalists, and news editors, will be familiar with how intense work has been over the past 18-months.
People resorted to crisis mode in the first months of 2020. They drew on their adrenalin and strength, and prepared for a sprint to deal with the unfolding disaster. This is now a marathon and not a sprint, 18 months later.
Many are still in crisis mode due to ongoing health emergencies, structural demands, and personal values and beliefs regarding helping and supporting others. But, the personal strength and adrenalin reserves are long gone, and fatigue has replaced them. However, the majority of people continue to work hard, sometimes harder than before, thinking both gratefully and guiltily about their security and employment. They also think of the increasing complexity of the workplace and the need to carry on business as usual.
While work can be a source of solace, it can also provide structure, routine and structure that allows for meaningful engagement. However, too much work can lead to the unhealthy. People need to take time to relax, unplug, enjoy, recharge their brains, and reaffirm their identities and roles.
Clients should make time for rest and longer breaks. I recommend clients plan to engage in hobbies and play regularly, take regular breaks from work and keep them off the phone. Establish and maintain reasonable work hours and regular work hours. Before accepting new commitments, it is important to carefully consider what they are willing to do. Give yourself permission not only to say no but also to accept. It may be helpful to have regular conversations with managers, and include wellbeing in conversations about work and performance.
While we are coming to accept that the pandemic has become the new normal, many people believe that it is impossible to avoid the crisis and that the work environment must be restored to its former productivity levels. Some sectors, like health and key political offices are seeing business boom as the crisis worsens. People become thinner to meet the tsunami of needs.
A client of mine as a health professional said that I couldn't stop. If I stop, people die.
Similar beliefs are behind a large number of people who overwork. Some professions discourage or devalue rest. The pressures of limited workers and increasing demand have led to many people neglecting the importance of rest.
During the peak of the second wave last year, ICU nurses were working non-stop for several months. Some of these nurses have left hospitals this year to avoid the dangers of Covid testing or vaccination sites. They refuse to return to the trauma scene. I am grateful for all the help they gave me, but I wonder if a little more time and a structural and personal acknowledgment of our individuality and need to replenish would have prevented this exodus from the workplace. It would have been better for us all.
Overwork is a key factor in stress management. It is often not recognized until it is identified. There are many factors that can cause difficulties in pausing work. These include unrealistic workplace structures and cultural expectations. Personal beliefs (no one can do my job), personality characteristics and internalised expectations about self and expectations from others.
People should consider the long-term psychological and physical costs of unrelenting work (including burnout), question their belief that their workplace will not survive without them (what if you were hit by a bus tomorrow? is an example of reflection), and remind themselves that they have never regretted working harder or for longer.
Dr Ahona Guha, a forensic and clinical psychologist from Melbourne, Australia.
