“Many American workers are overworked, exhausted and underpaid. Defying their biological clocks with shift work. Putting in 50-plus-hour workweeks and often juggling the work of two or more people — all under the eye of sometimes capricious management.” A toxic workplace has a tremendous negative impact on any person. Career counselors can help their clients cope by finding a less toxic workplace that is more compatible or by changing their current positions.
American workers often “struggle to achieve work-life balance, unable to find enough time to spend with their partner, play with their children, or walk the dog. ‘Self-care’ may consist of slumping on the couch, shades drawn, a six-pack or jumbo glass of wine at the ready, binging on Netflix. All while living paycheck to paycheck. And some experts say that it’s killing us.”
https://ct.counseling.org/2018/09/could-toxic-workplaces-be-killing-your-clients/
“The idea of work as a mortality risk may sound like an exaggeration, but research, particularly the work of Jeffrey Pfeffer, a professor of organizational behavior at Stanford University, suggests that the danger is all too real. His recently published book, Dying for a Paycheck, details his research on health effects often specific to work-related stressors such as unemployment and layoffs, the absence of health insurance, shift work, long working hours, job insecurity, work-family conflict, low job control, high job demands, low social support at work and low organizational fairness. Pfeffer’s conclusion: Stress caused by modern workplace conditions is sickening employees mentally and physically. Although the problem is global, Pfeffer’s research indicates that work is particularly toxic in the United States, where job stress costs employers more than $300 billion annually and may cause 120,000 deaths each year.”
Career Counseling with Elaine Korngold
Sometimes the person who can help you the most is someone who has been in the same situation as you, has had similar experiences, and knows the territory and the language. The truth is, very few therapists have the appropriate background or life experience to assist you with your career needs. Before becoming a counselor, I had an extensive career in technology in a variety of settings. My previous job titles included: programmer-analyst, software developer, systems engineer, research scientist, business analyst, product manager, project manager, and a certified scrum master. In addition, I worked in a variety of settings – small start-ups, giant corporations, mid-size business, universities, and healthcare organizations. By combining my skills in mental health counseling with my extensive work experiences, I offer unique career counseling and coaching that enables you think strategically through your work-related issues, and helps you avoid a toxic workplace. Contact me to learn more.