The workday might end at 5 p.m., but for many, the exhaustion lingers well into the night. <\/p>\n
According to new research<\/a> from book summary app company Headway, 60 per cent of employees say their free time is spent recovering from work instead of actually living their lives.<\/p>\n This kind of chronic recovery mode is more than just a personal inconvenience, it\u2019s a business risk, says Cindy Cavoto, a certified productivity coach with Headway.<\/p>\n \u201cYou need the time to stop, think and iterate to come up with brilliant ideas, which simply doesn\u2019t compute with the pressures of modern work,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n The study, which surveyed 2,000 professionals in North America, paints a stark picture of today\u2019s workplace culture. More than a third of employees have given up on self-improvement and exercise, citing a lack of time. Almost a third say they are too drained from work to spend time with friends and a quarter say they have no personality outside of work. That loss of personal investment, Ms. Cavoto says, is dragging down team performance and long-term resilience.<\/p>\n \u201cEven if you cope well with stress and high pressure, there\u2019s no time to exercise, eat well or get enough sleep when you\u2019re spending all day working and all evening thinking about work,\u201d she says. \u201cEventually, your body is going to feel it.\u201d<\/p>\n Perhaps even more telling is that 25 per cent of workers feel guilty for resting. The implication? A culture that equates rest with weakness and a leadership gap when it comes to modelling balance.<\/p>\n \u201cMost people don\u2019t skip breaks and work late because they want to; they do it because they think they have to,\u201d says Ms. Cavoto. \u201cTo force change, employers must rewrite the rules.\u201d<\/p>\n That means more than just talking about wellness. According to Ms. Cavoto, it requires systemic changes such as protected breaks, enforced vacations and strict boundaries around after-hours communication. It\u2019s not just a matter of ethics, it\u2019s smart business.<\/p>\n \u201cBusinesses love to count hours, but being on the clock doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re being productive,\u201d she says. \u201cA well-rested worker is likely to produce more output in half the time than someone suffering from burnout.\u201d<\/p>\n Sixty-five per cent of workers have daydreamed about quitting just to focus on themselves. That\u2019s not laziness \u2013 it\u2019s a signal of unmet needs. The study suggests that workers don\u2019t want to abandon purpose, but they are desperate for balance.<\/p>\n \u201cIf employers stop cutting into our free time, that burning, widespread desire to quit will undoubtedly fade,\u201d Ms. Cavoto says.<\/p>\n The takeaway? Overwork isn\u2019t just bad for people, it\u2019s bad for business. And reframing rest as a strategy, not a setback, may be the most productive move a company can make.<\/p>\n Fast fact<\/b>Big payday<\/b><\/p>\n 20 per cent<\/p>\n That\u2019s how much the median compensation for the CEOs of Canada\u2019s biggest public companies has risen since 2023, with many benefitting from a strong stock market. <\/p>\n Read more<\/a><\/p>\n Career guidance<\/b>Fuelling success<\/b><\/p>\n If you\u2019re driven toward success and happiness, you might think the best thing to do is zone in on your top goals.<\/p>\n However, best-selling author and investor Tim Ferris says finding new hobbies and passions is key to happiness and business success, especially if you\u2019re in a rut. While intense focus on your career goals can boost productivity, he believes that finding new things to be passionate about \u2013 and then giving them the proper amount of individual focus \u2013 can support your mental health, feeling of purpose and overall success. <\/p>\n Read more<\/a><\/p>\n Quoted<\/b>Embracing breaks <\/b><\/p>\n \u201cDuring the pandemic, there was so much shifting in the workplace \u2013 lots of people getting laid off or stepping out of work to manage caregiving responsibilities \u2013 and you might have thought this need for a linear career path would have maybe diminished,\u201d says MyPerfectResume career expert Jasmine Escalera. \u201cWhat the data tells us is that there is an enduring stigma. It still affects how employees see their career prospects.\u201d<\/p>\n Many people feel pressure to hide career breaks or gaps from potential employers, but hiding it can be more damaging than embracing it. <\/p>\n