Work-life balance is often presented as a way to get more out of your existing workforce. There are talent retention issues in play, and issues of the bottom line effects of absenteeism. However, work-life balance goes beyond caring for the bottom line and the business itself. Examining work-life balance concerns also provides insight into the ways that the balance - or lack thereof - can affect employees over the long-term.

More Than Overwhelmed

An overwhelmed worker isn’t just busy today. Your workforce is increasingly feeling the pressure of global competition, high standards, and the tough job market. Workers feel like they have to do it all, everyday and all the time, or they will be overtaken by international competitors and the local unemployed who are all too ready to steal their jobs.

A bit paranoid? Over-reacting? Not exactly. For 2010, more than 294 billion emails crossed the desk of just 1.9 billion email users world-wide, according to the Radicati Group. Interruptions such as these average seven minutes each, and cost workers just over two hours a day. Yet you and your staff are still being asked to deal with everything that comes in as well as maintain a life outside of work. No wonder people are increasingly reporting that it’s enough... more than enough ... to just to keep their heads above water.

Many are attempting to keep it all inside, mainly out of fear that they will be seen as weak links or unable to cope. However, work-life balance issues manifest themselves from the top of the organization on down. No one is immune to life challenges, and the pressures of the workplace only seem to be accelerating in the modern age.

Stress-related Illness

The challenges of handling all the incoming data, requests, and processes at work plus everything going on at home manifests itself primarily in stress related illnesses. Some 70 to 90 percent of all doctor’s visits are stress related, according to the American Institute of Stress. Estimates put the cost of employee illnesses to businesses at an average of $300 per day per worker, but over time the costs to employees are much higher.

Stress damage to health starts with illnesses that just don’t go away, and progresses into serious health impairments. Stress can lead to adrenal gland fatigue, recurrent headaches, hardened arteries, and premature aging. Not exactly what most workers signed up for when they entered the workforce.

Once locked in a cycle of imbalance and state of overwhelmed semi-emergency, it can be very hard to break free before the net effects of extended stress on the body take a permanent toll.

Mental Health Concerns

It’s not just the physical effects of a poor work-life balance that should be raising red flags. Long-term imbalances can lead to mental health issues as well. In some cases, the effects of stress, divided attention, and constant distraction can lead workers to seek out professional help when what they really need is a chance to break away and recharge.

A prime concern is anxiety related disorders. Extended stress in the workplace and at home can lead to issues managing worry and anxiety. Panic attacks, crippling phobias, and even persecution mania can arise It sounds extreme, but the cumulative.Effects of years of long hours under high pressure are no laughing matter.

Work-life imbalance can also lead workers to pursue coping mechanisms that have negative long term effects, according to the National Council for Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. Workers who are struggling to sleep or calm their thoughts may turn to alcohol as a nightcap or soother, while others may seek out drugs that allow them to work 100 hour weeks for months on end. These choices can all be justified in the moment, but their long-term effects on mental well-being are well-documented and overwhelmingly cautionary.

Safety Issues

Job stress and work-life balance issues can also contribute to safety issues in the workplace. Workers who are distracted by personal problems or too stressed to focus clearly on the task at hand are more likely to be injured or to cause injuries to others in the workplace. This can take the form of workplace accidents, or in rarer cases, workplace violence.

The bulk of workplace accidents - 60 to 80 percent - are attributed to workplace stress, according to the American Institute of Stress. The average cost of the accident to the business is $29,000 per incident, giving firms a large incentive to prevent them. However, most attention is focused on regulatory measures, rather than providing solutions to workers frazzled and overwhelmed by the challenges of their work-life balance.

Concluding Thoughts

Work-life balance isn’t just a matter of feel-good policies and attempts to shore up the bottom line through enhanced productivity. Minority businesses also have to look at the issue from the perspective of worker care and safety. When your workforce is feeling overwhelmed by everything they have on their plates on the job and at home, there’s plenty of potential for things to go wrong.

It’s not a problem that’s heading away any time soon. The newest area of concern relates to personal finances, which as many as 25 percent of all workers are seriously stressed or concerned about on any given day. This stress costs employers nearly 20 hours a month of productive time, and can seriously impair worker performance, according to the American Express Guide to Workplace Financial Education and Advice. As the economy continues to limp along, workers often have to add financial struggles to what’s already on their plate.

You can choose to work around problems like these, or you can choose to tackle work-life issues head on. Encourage workers to speak up when they are feeling overwhelmed or struggling, and investigate the ways that your business can reasonably respond to their concerns. Not every problem is your problem, but the long-term effects of stress and work-life struggles on your employees is an issue no minority business owner should be overlooking.