Amidst heightened competition in the job market, workers all over the world are pushing themselves to be the best of the best in order to prove that they have what it takes to make it to the top. It is no secret that everyone wants to be as successful as they possibly can, but are there any risks to working too hard?

The answer to this question is a yes. When solely focusing on work and nothing else, you are bound to end up feeling burnt-out and exhausted. Without a healthy work-life balance, employees actually tend to see a decrease in their efficiency, making it extremely important to pass along the notion of prioritising not just work, but hobbies, interests, and social interactions as well.

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What is really happening when your employees are overworking?

When employees are sacrificing their relationships with family and friends for work-related matters, it is inevitable that their happiness will diminish overtime. While they might not recognise the costs of these sacrifices now, there are good chances that they will in the future. Not only affecting their personal life, private issues faced by employees can also lead to feelings of disdain towards the company. When employees feel isolated from important people in their lives, it can actually lead to an increased risk in mortality. That’s right – loneliness can be deadly.

In fact, loneliness is about twice as dangerous as obesity, it also impairs immune functions, boosts inflammation, and oftentimes leads to arthritis, type II diabetes, and heart disease. Conversely, when your employees are surrounded by their loved ones, it reduces feelings of anxiety and allows them to let loose and have fun.

In addition to lack of time spent with friends and families, your employees are most likely not getting enough sleep when they are overworking. When workers are staying up until the odd hours of the night to meet deadlines, finish projects, respond to emails, etc., they are actually putting themselves at the risk of sleep deprivation. Although one’s body can take some lack of sleep every once in a while, consistent lack of sleep can actually lead to decreased productivity and concentration – and just like isolation, this can put the employee at risk of heart disease.

We all know working hard and being professional is important, but when employees are risking their health and wellness for the company’s sake, something should definitely change. Knowing where to draw the line between working hard, participating in hobbies, and hanging out with loved ones is crucial when discussing employee retention and satisfaction.

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Better Balance = Better Employees

When you help your employees prioritise their work-life and personal-life in an efficient manner, employees will not only learn to develop more loyalty to the company, but also lead happier lives as well. Informing employees of work-life best practices and how to create this balance can help your employees find the perfect line to be drawn between the two entities.

Focus on Productivity Rather than Hours

Instead of only looking at how much time employees are spending at work, you should focus more on what tasks are actually getting done during the time. Sometimes, long work-days are inevitable but working a full 8-hours every single day does not always mean that our workers are being the most efficient as they could. That being said, it is wise to encourage workers to go home on time and recharge so they can suit up for the next day feeling ready to take on any challenges they have to face.

No More All-Nighters

We all know that one worker who just can’t seem to turn-off when getting home. As discussed earlier, lack of sleep can lead to innumerable health risks that are actually easily avoidable when companies encourage their workers to turn off their computers at certain time each night. Informing our employees about sleeping best practices, such as avoiding mattresses that cause pain, or sleeping without lights or loud noises can drastically reduce the probability of having sleep-deprived and unproductive workers.

Socializing Throughout the Week

Happy Hours are always a good way to get our employees socialise with their peers and build strong bonds within the company, but socialisation outside of the company is important too. By allowing employees to have free time to gather with their friends and family after work and even during lunch hours can lead to an overall happier workforce, making everybody’s jobs just that much easier.

This article is contributed by Elise Morgan.

Elise is a business student and freelance writer located in North Carolina who has recently found her passion writing about all things business, technology, and process improvement techniques. In her free time, Elise enjoys practicing yoga, trying out new recipes, and traveling to new restaurants with her friends.

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