Working and Being a Productive Part of Society is a Catch-22...

Posted by Erin Brown on Wednesday, October 26, 2011 in 2011, catch 22, stress, work,

Catch-22  (n.)  (kăch'twĕn-tē-tū', kĕch'-)

1. A situation in which a desired outcome or solution is impossible to attain because of a set of inherently illogical rules or conditions.
2. A situation or predicament characterized by absurdity or senselessness.
3. A contradictory or self-defeating course of action
4. A tricky or disadvantageous condition; a catch 

In this economy, people are blessed to have a job.  It’s hard out there.  People are working harder than ever and desperately trying to make ends meet.  So what happens when you need time to yourself?  The obvious answer is to take time off from your job…especially since you work to accrue vacation and sick time.  It’s there to be used, right?  

Yes, working at any company in this economy is a Catch-22 .  You are hired to do a job.  You are overworked and need a vacation or you need a ‘mental health day’ just to get away, relax, and refresh your mind.  Unfortunately, you can’t use vacation or sick time to rest because your department is small and you have too much work to do.  Did I forget to mention that you may already feel guilty for being away from work and you fear that you will be looked down upon for taking time off?  

What sense does any of that make?  I’ve always felt as though your job can stress you to the point of no return if you let it.  Now, there is finally some research to back up my theory. 

According to the research, there are seven ways your job can make you sick:

• Organizational constraints
• Role conflict
• Interpersonal conflict
• Workload
• Role ambiguity
• Work hours
• Lack of control

The research speaks for itself.  It's pretty obvious to any of us who have been in these situations.  You can read the explanations on PsyBlog.  

7 Ways Work Can Make You Sick