Everyone has put in extra hours at work at some point in their lives. While most employees are forced by their managers to work longer hours, many employees choose to work late to earn better rewards. Regardless of the reason you are putting extra hours at work, there are major consequences of doing so including the following:
You Are Left With No Social Life
Although this might not be the biggest disadvantage of working late hours, especially for introverts and socially awkward individuals, it does have an impact on one’s overall well-being. Humans need social time to remain sane, lead a healthy and fulfilling life. But when your work life has overtaken your social life, you feel frustrated, de-motivated, and depressed. You are also unable to focus at work, making your efforts go to waste.
You Get Mentally Exhausted
Working extra hours in a bid to get good a good appraisal is not always going to turn out well for you. The reason that most overworked individuals are unable to perform is that their brains are exhausted. When the energy levels of the brain go down, your concentration lowers and you are unable to put in extra efforts. So, while you are thinking that working late will help you achieve your targets sooner, you will be too tired to make sense out of anything, which will eventually result in delayed project completions and lack of productivity.
You Get Sleep Deprived
Every human being requires sleep to function properly. The different systems of our body repair while we are asleep, which is why it is extremely important to fuel your body with healthy energy by sleeping for at least 7 hours a day. However, if you are working longer hours, you will not get enough time to rest. Even if you reach home by midnight, it will take time for you to fall asleep. When you don’t get enough sleep for a long time or you exhaust your body with work, you stop functioning efficiently. You might get by work every day, but you will be lazy and less productive. Furthermore, sleep deprivation is the number one cause of all illnesses.
You Suffer From Stress
The number one health issue that most employees suffer from is stress and the number one contributor of stress for employees is extra workload. Those who work for longer hours put their body and mind in a state of stress and as a result, fall ill. When you work longer hours, you are focused on being more productive, achieving your target, getting promoted, etc. This results in excessive thinking which makes you feel stressed all the time. Therefore, it is best to avoid working extra hours to enjoy some peace of mind and to feel stress-free.
Your Eyes Get Weaker
When you are constantly focused on your computer screen based on your work requirements, your eyes get weaker. Employees who work extra hours staring at their computer screen suffer from eye problems like blurred vision, eye strain, and headaches. All of these problems cause your productivity to take a dip, resulting in poor performance.
