I’m a psychologist: You should set the alarm and take a break from work now – for your health

Australians are miserable at work, according to the latest data.

Not only do nearly half of Aussie workers report being unhappy at work, we’re also spending record amounts of time there, with a study finding we’ve increased the hours we work per week and decreased overall work/life balance scores .

And while companies insist they are trying to combat this decline in happiness (according to research, 80 percent of global companies said they are prioritizing staff well-being), this commitment doesn’t seem to be filtering down to the people they employ.

Recent research from Subway revealed that four out of five Aussies fail to take their lunch breaks, resulting in an estimated 7.5 million hours of lost breaks per week.

This finding came as Gen Z and Millennial respondents in particular (67 percent and 53 percent respectively) noted that this practice had a negative impact on their mental and physical health.

Workplace psychologist and consultant Anushka Dowling says that not only does working non-stop for long periods of time lead to fatigue, it can also impair decision-making.

“Sometimes we think that not taking vacations is making us more productive, but what’s more likely to be happening is that we’re not giving our brains a chance to rest, increasing stress and actually decreasing productivity,” she explains. .

“Similarly, sitting for long periods of time can increase musculoskeletal problems and affect cardiovascular health. However, the risks to our emotional well-being are less obvious and less visible.”

Almost a third (31 percent) of people surveyed said that putting a reminder on their phone to stop and take a break would encourage them to take a lunch break more often, something Dowling says it’s a simple yet effective strategy that everyone can use to better prioritize wellness. .

“Putting yourself and your well-being first is the main thing,” she continues.

“Establishing strategies to prevent burnout is the best approach. In busy roles, it seems like taking time off may not be possible in the short term, but it will actually benefit you in the long run.”

Dowling adds that while personal reminders to take regular time off help in a practical sense, there needs to be a more systemic change to the way workplaces operate as well.

“The most important ingredient is a workplace that prioritizes vacations and supports and encourages workers to take them,” she says.

“Workplace culture will often set the standard for whether taking vacations is the norm. It’s a great measure of a positive culture.”

Assistant Professor of Organizational Psychology at Bond University, Dr Libby Sander, agrees that change needs to come from the top in workplaces in order to normalize behavior that promotes wellbeing.

“Acting as a role model as a manager to break this culture is essential,” says Dr Sander, “even if we are not working in a toxic work culture. We all know that the ‘rush culture’ is still very valued and appreciated, and we see this glorified in the media by many of these stereotypical startup founders who sleep on the packing floor and work through lunch and push you to do more than the person next to you, this kind of survival of the fittest, Hunger Games mentality,” she says.

“I think a manager can play a key role in modeling the opposite kind of behavior to say ‘you know what? This is actually very unhelpful and very unsustainable in the long term.’ Managers need to break this kind of rush culture mentality.”