The recent death of an EY Pune employee shocked the nation and revived the age old debate about toxic work cultures.
Anna Sebastian Perayil, a chartered accountant at Ernst & Young (EY) died in July, four months after joining the firm. In a viral post, her mother alleged that the overwhelming work pressure at Anna’s new job took a toll on her health and led to her death.
This has led to a huge outrage by citizens on social media and sparked a debate about better work conditions and the validity of the ‘hustle culture’ promoted by companies and start ups.
I regularly hear or read about adults in their mid-30’s having high blood pressure and suffering from heart attacks. I have recently started hearing about 20-somethings facing these issues.
Everyday, there is a scenario of employees committing suicide out of stress. Many face crippling loneliness and anxiety.
I have myself dealt with tough and demanding work cultures. I can’t say I have always handled them well, but I managed to keep my sanity intact in the long run.
The truth is that consultancies and start ups will not change their ways as their business model relies on project delivery. Only the IT services sector, with a focus on project management, has any semblance of work life balance.
In such a scenario, it has become more important than ever to learn how to manage our mental health and maintain a healthy work life balance.
Here are 5 tips to maintain a healthy work life balance –
- Plan ahead: This includes the tasks you have to complete for the day, meetings to attend, chores to complete. Sit for 10 minutes every morning and plan out your day. Include time for leisure activities like coffee breaks and lunch with colleagues. Go one step further and plan ahead for any vacations or breaks you would like to take.
- Set boundaries: As a fresher, I had this unreal pressure on me to prove myself. As a result, I ended up being exploited by managers who passed on all their work to me. This is something every young employee will face. It is important to set boundaries. If you do not want to work beyond the set working hours, you should clearly send that message across. There is no need to be rude, but it could be as simple as switching off your phone post office.
- Time management: Often times, managers will cite inefficiency of work to assign more work. I, being lazy have also gone through this. This is where I learnt a crucial lesson. Manager don’t care how many hours you put, but the quality of work itself. That is when I started to manage my time better. I am still lazy and procrastinate, but when I work I tend to complete it efficiently. When you actually think about it, most work can be finished in less than five hours (if you are working independently).
- Practice meditation: Sounds cliche, but there is a reason why yoga has become so popular these days. As someone who practices meditation and yoga daily, I have seen a huge boost in my energy levels and focus. I have also gained the ability to calmly deal with situations. I still have a long way to go, but I have come a long way since I started regularly meditating. Try it!
- Enjoy your time off: While work is important for your career and future prospects, it is also important to unwind. Use you sick leaves and weekends to unwind. Travel, read, sleep, or take up a hobby. Learning to relax is just as important as being a good employee. Spend time with your family. Meet that friend for lunch. These are the people who will stick by you when times are tough.
Last but not least, nothing, absolutely nothing is worth your mental health and sanity. If you feel things are getting too tough and out of hand, you should quit your job. If your work is not making you feel good, then there is no point in continuing. There will always be other opportunities, but you only have one body and mind. Take care of yourself before you take care of your employer.
