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Surviving Long Work Hours
Thriving With a Demanding Schedule
Learn to survive long working days.
© iStockphoto/malerapaso
As she's become more successful in her career, Nancy has been putting in a lot of extra hours at work.
This isn't an issue for her – she's committed and ambitious, and she's prepared to work hard to get ahead. However, she has seen the effect that long hours have had on some of her peers, and she doesn't want this to happen to her.
For instance, one of her colleagues is always tired and irritable, and he doesn't seem to enjoy his work anymore – as a result, his performance has started to decline. Another colleague has put on a lot of weight, and she's recently been taking time off sick.
In this article, we'll look at how you can avoid problems like these if you work long hours. We'll explore how you can stay healthy and still perform exceptionally well. Plus, we'll look at how you can lighten the load, where this is appropriate.
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Related Resources
References
Virtanen, M. et al. (2012) 'Long Working Hours and Coronary Heart Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,' American Journal of Epidemiology, December 2012. (Available here.)
Virtanen, M. et al. (2012) 'Overtime Work as a Predictor of Major Depressive Episode,' Plos One Journal, January 25, 2012. (Available here.)
Smith Major, V. et al. (2002) 'Work Time, Work Interference With Family and Psychological Distress, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 87, No. 2. (Available here.)
Hewlett, S.A., and Buck Luce, C. (2006) 'Extreme Jobs: The Dangerous Allure of the 70-Hour Workweek,' Harvard Business Review, December 2006. (Available here.)
Elsbach, K., Cable, D.M., and Sherman, J.W. (2010) 'How Passive "Face Time" Affects Perceptions of Employees,' Human Relations, March 17, 2010. (Available here.)
Medneck, S. and Ehrman, M. (2006) 'Take a Nap! Change Your Life,' New York: Workman Publishing.
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