by Amaryllis Holloway-Turman

Created on: February 09, 2009

In these lean economic times, some people feel fortunate that they have a job where they need to stay late to finish their work. As a result, there can be the tendency to become unbalanced. Whenever a person is not balanced, it will eventually lead to problems. Working late is no exception.

To be clear, there is not an issue with working late. However, working late is only beneficial when the person is doing something productive. For example, working late is essential when there are special projects that require additional hours for completion. When there is a heavy workload, management might determine that working late is needed.

People should avoid working late on tasks that can be finished within the scheduled job hours. Those job tasks should be completed during working hours. A person has to realize that they cannot do everything in one day. A person will need to decide what the stopping point will be, wrap things up, and go home for the day. It can be difficult for a person to do that. Using notes to mark stopping point will ensure that the person can pick up where they left off the previous day.

Sometimes a person has to work late because they do not have effective time management. For example, if a person wasted time during the work day, he or she might stay later in order finish an assignment. But that is not a valid reason to work late. This means that during the regular working hours, the person was wasting the company's time.

Some people think that staying late impresses management. However, if a person consistently has a hard time getting their job done during a normal 8-hour period, management might question their efficiency. Or they might question whether the person is only staying to receive overtime pay. When it is necessary to stay late, it is best to keep a journal of the reasons why and list the projects that were being completed. If someone should have a question later, at least the person would be able to provide proof as to the reasons. If the person can provide that information, it might spark the question if there is a need to increase head count because there is too much work for one person.

Working is a necessary part of life, but there has to be balance. A person would not want to spend all of their time with recreation. In the same way, a person would not want to spend all of their time working. Working late means less time for a social life. And if a person has a family, they might miss spending valuable time with their family because of work.

This will cause them to miss out on living their lives. We all need to be balanced so that when we go to work, we are energized to do our best for the benefit of the company where we work.

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