It is common knowledge that working overtime means additional pay. While the objective of making more money for yourself and your family is good, the means to do it may vary as good or bad for your health and in all aspects of your life. Leaving work on time is an important thing to do. For one, you are given eight hours to complete your tasks and that’s only how long you should spend working. Here are the top 10 reasons why you should leave work on time.
1. Working overtime does not make you hardworking.
Many employees think that if they work overtime and extra hours, it would make them look hardworking. That is not the case. In recent studies, it showed that people who work overtime often actually have a hard time with time management and delivering their tasks – which results in working extra hours to complete their assignments.
On the other hand, leaving on time means you are able to accomplish your work at your given 8-hour time frame.
2. You discipline yourself to follow your work time.
Being on time coming in to work is a form of self-discipline. It shows respect for your company and your co-workers’ time. Did you know that leaving work on time is also a form of discipline?
Yes, logging in and off work on time shows your diligence to work. It shows that you maximize the hours given to you to complete your tasks.
3. You should make time for your family and friends.
There is no excuse for not spending time with your family or friends. Work should not come in between. While you work for your family, your work should not come first.
The family should always come first, and your friends deserve your time too. Eight hours of the day is enough to be away from your personal life.
4. You should make time for yourself.
If you are the type to frequently work extra hours, take a moment to assess yourself. How do you look? Are you doing anything interesting aside from work? Do you look stressed out and tired, or do you look light and happy?
Make time for yourself. Start new hobbies and interests that can be a form of stress reliever, or not. Just give yourself time to relax.
5. It will cause less stress.
Working overtime often can make you feel stressed and tired all the time. You will barely have time to catch up on your personal life after work, and you come home just to sleep.
This is not a healthy routine. In time, it can cause a glitch to your health.
6. You are sacrificing the quality of your work.
When you are too tired from working for 8 hours straight, and then adding extra hours as overtime, you are actually sacrificing the quality of your work.
Your tired mind and body may not be able to cope up with your productivity, thus you are affecting not only yourself but also your co-workers and your company.
7. Time is gold.
Time is precious and we all know that. The time you spend working late cannot be brought back to spend with your loved ones and enjoying your life.
Although working is not exactly a waste of time, but if you put all your time into it, the time you are wasting is the one that should be given to the people that matter to you.
8. The more you go on overtime, the more demanding your work becomes.
This is true – when your boss sees that you are capable of finishing a lot of work and that you are willing to work extra hours anyway, your work starts to become demanding.
The next thing to happen is you will get burned out. Negativity starts from there.
9. Overtime is bad for your health.
Studies show that the human body can only take a maximum of eight hours straight working, then it would need to rest. If you push your body to work some more, it may be fine for a while.
But eventually, all the stress and lack of rest will catch up and it can be dangerous for your health.
10. You are entitled to leave on time.
Leave work on time because you are entitled to do so. No questions asked, no holds barred.
You are paid to work for a number of hours and when you finish those hours, you should take your well-deserved rest.
When you always work overtime, you abuse your body and your life but the one who benefits most is not you. Work is important. It provides food on the table and the other necessities in life. It should not, however, take control of you and take over your life completely. Maintain a healthy work-life balance and always leave work on time.