How to survive an all-work, no-play boss
Having a
workaholic boss can send your work-life balance for a toss. ET Panache tells
you how to cope so that you can keep your job and sanity.
Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz pulls a 13-hour day. GE CEO Jeff Immelt has been putting in 100 hours a week for 24 years. Pepsi CEO Indra Nooyi wishes there were 35 hours to get work done. Closer home, prime minister Narendra Modi is known for 18-hour work days. While it is well and good to be driven, the stress it creates, the lack of a social life or down time, can take its toll, as employees of workaholic bosses will tell you. Here are pointers to cope with such a situation:
Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz pulls a 13-hour day. GE CEO Jeff Immelt has been putting in 100 hours a week for 24 years. Pepsi CEO Indra Nooyi wishes there were 35 hours to get work done. Closer home, prime minister Narendra Modi is known for 18-hour work days. While it is well and good to be driven, the stress it creates, the lack of a social life or down time, can take its toll, as employees of workaholic bosses will tell you. Here are pointers to cope with such a situation:
Get your job profile clearly defined
Ideally, this should be done before you take up the job. Have it in writing what your job profile, timings and expectations are. It's easy to get caught in the rush of work your boss throws at you if you don't know what your role is in the organisation. If you know what your position requires of you, it is easier to speak up when overworked.
Set boundaries
Working on the occasional weekend is fine but when you find yourself on call seven days a week, you need to reassess the situation. An HR professional from a global accounts agency says, "One important boundary is to learn how to say no to work on the weekends. The sooner you set the boundary, the better."
Find out priority
A workaholic boss will just throw work in your direction. If you cannot manage to finish everything within your office timings, ask your boss what needs to be done on priority. Remember it is not about how many projects you can finish but the quality of the work.
Stick to it
It can so happen that you will have a fruitful conversation with your boss and things will be okay for a week before falling into the familiar pattern. Sticking to your decision to say 'no' is a must. Our HR professional adds, "Be firm and believe in the reason why you're saying no. A valid argument or discussion is hardly disregarded.".
By Glynda Alves, ET Bureau 140703
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