How Work-Home Interference Can Lead to StressBy Michelle Kellum '19Everyday I wake up and give myself a pep talk. “Today will be a good day, the clients will act right, everyone will show up for work today, it will be a nice quiet day.” Then I grab my cell phone and get a quick reality check - Why do I have fifteen emails before 6am? What is wrong with people? Why are they already sending me emails? What time did they get in to work today? Why do I need to know this? My nice positive attitude just went down the tubes. Oh and by the way, I’m not even out of bed yet. Some of you might think wow, she needs a new job, but the truth is I really love my job. I work in an environment where I get to help people change their lives, see them grow into the person they want to be, and achieve their goals while maintaining sobriety. On top of that I love my co-workers, feel appreciated by my boss, and have the freedom to grow within my position. I have the best job in the world. If that is true though, why am I so stressed? Burnout is “a psychological syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment" which arises in response to chronic stress. 'Emotional exhaustion refers to feelings of being emotionally overextended and depleted of one's emotional resources. Depersonalization refers to a negative, callous, or excessively detached response to other people, who are usually the recipients of one's service or care. Reduced personal accomplishment refers to a decline in one's feelings of competence and successful achievement in one's work" (Maslach, 1993) Research done by Daantje Derks and Arnold Bakker (2014), suggests that my smartphone may be part of the problem. Derks and Bakker introduce a concept called work-home interference, which they describe as an inter-role conflict. Duties from the work domain enter the home domain creating conflict and role confusion. Since smartphones are used as a way to stay connected to work through phone calls, emails, and workload, accessing this work while at home can create many negative outcomes including psychological strain, perceived impaired physical health, fatigue, poor sleep quality, depression and anxiety. Their research suggests that people need breaks from work to maintain their well being and not allowing yourself these breaks can contribute to prolonged stress and burnout. This makes sense to me because I never seem to get a break from work. I am always plugged into work either through my phone, laptop, or IPad. My emails invade my personal time with their annoying dings or ever increasing numbers letting me know how many messages I have awaiting me. As I see that number increase I feel the pressure to read the email so I don’t have so many to read the next day. I also receive text messages throughout the night from staff asking me questions or giving me updates on clients. There is also the dreaded 3am phone call that interrupts my sleep and makes it impossible for me to fall back asleep. I have at least one of these experiences every single night making it impossible to detach from work. If I’m being honest though the problem is not just my smartphone. Somewhere along the line, my boundaries with employees and clients started to change. Always being available is unrealistic and not good for them or me. boundary (noun): something that indicates or fixes a limit or extent Derks and Bakker’s research suggest that employers should discuss work-home interference with their staff and the possible effects. They should encourage boundaries between work and home and have programs in place that help employees with facilitating psychological detachment. They also encourage clear expectations regarding after-hour work and availability. Although I know I am expected to be available if needed, I do not need to engage in bad habits such as checking emails throughout the night or first thing in the morning. I can allow myself time away from the facility and communicate with others when and why it would be appropriate to contact me. After reviewing this research I had a discussion with my supervisor and shared what I had learned. She also agreed that she was feeling burned out and needed to find a way to detach from the center. We agreed to work together to find a solution. We decided to rotate being on call every other weekend. The person on call will take all phone calls and the other person is not to be disturbed. They cannot check their emails or do any other type of work. The rest of the staff can only contact the on call person. If there is an emergency, the on call person will contact the other supervisor. This allows the person not on call to have an uninterrupted weekend where they can enjoy themselves and detach from the work environment. Smartphones can be a helpful tool with communication and staying connected. However they can also become a burden that leads to stress and burnout. Allowing your work to invade your home life can create conflict. Setting boundaries with your employer and yourself can help you avoid developing bad habits that prevent detachment from work. Even people who love their job need a break from it. Disconnecting from my smartphone is a small step towards finding balance and practicing self-care. I’ve learned that I cannot take care of others if I don’t take care of myself first. I’ve learned that I cannot take care of others if I don’t take care of myself first. This entry is cross posted with the new Metropolitan State Psychology Lab Blog. Further Reading About the Author
Michelle Kellum, earned her BA in Psychology in 2019. Prior to her time at Metropolitan State, she earned an AA from Century College. Michelle is a licensed alcohol and drug counselor and has worked in the field of chemical dependence recovery since 2004. She will begin a graduate program in Co-occurring Disorders Recovery Counseling at Metropolitan State in the fall of 2019. Michelle researched work-home interference and stress as part of her applications of knowledge credit. She worked in collaboration with Dr. Mahoney’s Interpersonal Emotions Research Lab, whose Spring 2019 focus was the science of self-care, emotional awareness and burnout prevention.
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DESCRIPTIONThis 'Blog' highlights varied research endeavors. Where noted, entries are written by my students, themselves.
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