Numerous people who are in professional careers and business enterprises expand their working time aiming to become the best in the area of their operation. Extreme jobs have become acceptable in several workplaces. Extremes jobs can be defined as any work that takes more than sixty hours per week with other factors that require the worker to be alert all through.
Extreme jobs demand the worker to avail him/herself throughout the week working day and night. Although people involved in such careers succeed, their work become over consuming leaving them with little or no leisure time for relaxing and being with their families, but their effort is rewarded by receiving higher positions in the career (Hewlett & Luce, 2006).
An economy with extremely working people poses a danger to individuals and society at large. According to the data gathered, the professionals are working longer hours than the normal 40 hours per week. More than 50% of executive employees exceed 50 working hours per week. 35% work for more than 60 hours while about 10% work for more than 80 hours, which is on extreme (Hewlett & Luce, 2006).
Although there is a demand for better career position and economy calls for working citizens, there are dangers of extreme jobs because they consume most of the time without the worker’s knowledge that they are being exploited.
One of the problems of the extreme job is lack of vacation. Individuals engaged in such demanding careers takes less than ten days per year for vacation, which is far less than what is allocated to them or what is necessary for effective production. A larger percentage of employees end up canceling their vacations even though they work for longer hours than usual (Hewlett & Luce, 2006).
They claim that the long working hours and several months without offs are discretionary because they are not forced to work, but they are motivated by the reward. Although they feel comfortable working without breaking, their social life is adversely affected.
Their entire life is given to raising the organization where they work to a higher level outdoing the competitors. The danger is that even though the employees are working for many hours, they don’t understand they are brain drained and exploited. They enjoy leaving their houses as early as 7.00 am and get back as late as 9.00 pm for at least five days a week. Sometimes they have to work even during the weekends.
Extreme jobs make workers to spend most of their time thinking about how to improve their career and better the working environment thus failing to get enough sleep and exercise.
They resolve in taking alcohol, drugs, and other substances that reduce stress. The long working hours exposes the workers to health problems like insomnia, obesity due to poor diet, and heart problems. Despite the health issues, the executives continue to stigmatize vacation for they fear lower production in their absence. The extreme job victims continue to work as their health condition continues to decline.
Other than neglecting the social life, people with extreme job neglect their families too. More than 50% of the women interviewed admitted that long working hours affect their families because they spend most of the time at work thus making it hard to maintain their homes. A huge percentage of men had the same problem (Hewlett & Luce, 2006). This affects sexuality and general relationships between married couples.
The children lack parental support, and most of them are raised in the absence of one or both parents. The academic performance of such children is affected since they do not have anyone to guide them in utilizing their time. They spend most of their time watching television and playing games that are no of any importance to them. The health of these children can also be affected since there is no one to observe on their diet thus they take a lot of junk foods.
On understanding the problems associated with the extreme job, it is essential to understand the mechanisms that contribute to this phenomenon. The first thing that results in extreme jobs is advanced technology. Modern communications devices encourage people to work for longer hours without getting bored. Advanced communication devices contribute to liberated and constrained extreme in professionalism.
Technological devices can connect people from all over the world making the employing to respond to the demands of the client even when they need to rest and enjoy their free time (Robbins, 2009). The clients can make inquiries through e-mails, and since there are devices, which are portable, the employees must respond to such requests.
The other factor that contributes to extreme job is how the employing treats their workplace. Most of the employees take their offices as the center of their social life.
The employees are likely to be more acquitted to their colleagues. This encourages them to work for longer hours as they enjoy the company of each other and maybe sometimes share personal issues that affect them as individuals (Fleming, 2009). The employees make their personal connections through civic organizations in their workplaces.
Another factor that contributes to extreme work is the transformation that has taken place in the employee’s job knowledge. Corporations are employing personnel who are competent in their area; thus they enjoy whatever they are doing. These employees are willing to devote more of their brain energy, and since there are in the offices for long, they opt to develop their social life around the workplace.
Having seen the problem of extreme job and their causes, it is recommendable for both the employers and employees to look for the ways that can create a balance in the working environment (Fleming, 2009). The employees can be encouraged to forego some of the benefits that accrues from extreme jobs.
To begin with, the employees should be encouraged to take vacations in full to avoid fatigue. As the employees take these breaks, they can maintain social connections and family relations. The employer ought to consider other ways of motivating the employees without interfering extremely with family and social life of the employees.
Though the employees can be encouraged by improved technology to work for longer hours, they should be disciplined not to get to the extent of working for more than the required time. They should have a schedule and allocate their duties appropriately so s to avoid being enticed by the modern devices causing them to work for longer hours (Fleming, 2009).
The employees should set a limit on usage of the office equipment. Where possible, they should have different contact to use when in official duties and switch them off when with their families or when they are out of office.
In conclusion, there are numerous people who work for extremely long hours to improve the organization at the expense of their health, families, and social life.
Though they admit that their commitment to their jobs affects their lives, they argue that extreme job is discretionary thus working willingly without considering how they are drained physically, socially, and mentally. Although it is essential to have worked diligently, the employees should be encouraged to balance between the time they allocate to their career, family, and personal life.
References
Fleming, R. S. (2009). Effective fire and emergency services administration. Tulsa, Okla: PennWell Corp.
Hewlett S. A., & Luce C. Buck. (2006). Extreme Jobs: The Dangerous Allure of the70-our Workweek. Web.
Robbins, S. P. (2009). Organisational behaviour: Global and Southern African perspectives. Cape Town: Pearson Education South Africa.