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| Do you Really love your job?! |
In this section, we will discuss occupational health. It's fascinating that we spend more time at work than we do with our families, design or otherwise; you be the judge. Spending that much time in any aspect of our lives will definitely impact our health. Most people really don't know how to rate their occupational health, and for that reason, we will develop four questions that will help us find out if we are healthy within our jobs. Most of us work the nine to five respectively. While others have a more flexible schedule, while yet others are in search for either. Can occupational health be an impact if you don't have an occupation? We'll unearth a few points to see how it can. But for now, lets define occupational health.
Occupational health, "is the ability to achieve a balance between work and leisure time, addressing workplace stress and building relationships with co-workers. It focuses on our search for a calling and involves exploring various career options and finding where you fit."(UCR) Work/Life balance, workplace stress and working relationships are vital to defining our occupational health. So let's discuss these and our four questions that will help us identify and evaluate our occupational health.
Work/Life Balance: The ability to balance your workload and family effectively, giving due attention and energy to both successfully. Do we feel as if we are giving too much to work; or are we not giving enough to our jobs due to family occurrences? If either of these resonate with you, we may need to make adjustments where possible. This will give you a great sense of job satisfaction and purpose, knowing your doing your job successfully, while handling and enjoying matters at home.
Workplace Stress: I think I can fairly speak for a great majority of people, by saying work is stressful at times. Nevertheless, as we've mentioned in our article on stress, stress is not the presence of a problem, but the absence of a solution. We need to allow ourselves time to utilize, leverage and create options for ourselves in our workplace to alleviate stressors, and bring a fresh, calm and sharp mind to the issue or person.
Working Relationships: This one is most important to me, for the simple fact that our relationships (especially in Public Health and Non-Profit) can aid in reducing imbalance in Work/Life and reduce Workplace Stress. Our relationships, both inside our organization and outside are vital to mission completion and building a more efficient work area. Having a strong relationship with our immediate boss or manager, and our workmates are vital. This free flowing communication helps accomplish objectives, relieves stress and builds camaraderie. Having this as a goal to evaluate is important. Do you feel you have a great working relationship with your boss, and workmates, do you feel communication is strong and constant? These are good indicators and if you feel they aren't; a direct approach (I feel) works best to getting these lines of communication on track.
So, let's ask our four questions that will help us evaluate how healthy we are occupationally.
1. Do we have a strong Work/Life balance, and is your workload sufficient?
2. Do we enjoy what we do?
3. Do you feel that you have a great line of communication with those you work with, including those over you?
4. Does your occupation impede other facets of health in your life?
These questions can give you a good idea where you stand and also provide goals for you to work towards. Remember, every second, every minute and hour are yours to give. They are never taken from you, you give them to respective matters, entities or organizations. If it is within your power, enjoy every moment of your life, even at work. We spend so much time at work, it's only fair to make adjustments to provide the best atmosphere possible for you to have a healthy balance.
"Waste money, and you're only out of money, but waste time and you've lost part of your life." - Michael LeBoeuf
