Social Work-Work Ethic; Let’s Talk!
This month I took a week and a half off work. I don’t believe I have ever taken this much time off work that wasn’t due to an illness or having a baby. I used a significant about of my personal time off(PTO) time. Often I don't have enough time because I take occasional days off for myself and my own sanity or I will take time off for my children; either their events or doctor appointments. This year, since I have been working from home and I have a husband who stays at home with our son so for the first time in my work life, I had the time to take off. I acknowledge my current life is a huge position of privilege that millions of women and families do not have in other parts of the world. So many people are working 7 days a week just to survive and I feel an enormous sense of responsibility for the privilege I do have and to use it wisely.
With this acknowledgment, I also have not always given myself permission or had a model for taking time off for pleasure and rest. For a good number of years, I worked very high stress and high pressure jobs and this has been coupled with being a single parent for most of my working years. These two factors lead to many long days, little time off or relief from very complex and dynamic life and personal factors.
In our society, we do not prioritize rest
The United States, probably more than any other country has little tolerance for time off or vacation. I have read stats that show American under utilize their PTO and vacation time. I suspect and others have written that a driver behind this are the expectations to meet high standards of productivity/success and upward mobility. I don't need to recount the hazards and pitfalls of excessive work which include shorter life spans, higher levels of distress/anxiety, a feeling of never leaving the hamster wheel, consumption and production. The field of social work is not immune to the endless drive to work, to be successful and the ever present pressure to produce. In the case of the social worker, this is endless amount of work shows up in our ability to help others. As social workers that is our main work product; sit with/be with and help others.
Our current culture of work in the social worker field is not sustainable.
I would argue that while we tell our clients to care for themselves, we are no where near close to modeling this behavior. Social work is about modeling; healthy behaviors, actions, boundaries and skills we encourage others to learn and use to better their own lives. This can look like saying no to the unhealthy, being assertive, taking care of ourselves and finding health support systems. I have seen so many of my colleagues work long hours, never take time off, put up extra shifts, on-call and have a second job. I add myself to this category. I recall one story of a worker at a large hospital who worked for an entire year without taking time off. This story was spoken in awe and amazement of her effort.
When we don't value taking off time to reset/re-charge or to even be bored in our field, we are short changing ourselves, our clients and the profession as a whole. We are modeling some really unhealthy behaviors to younger professionals and students and even each other. I find myself stuck on this treadmill of a never-ending list of projects, tasks, ideas, suggestions, and solutions I want to work on during my off time. It is often not enough for me to work a full time job and be a mother/wife but I also need something on the side for the down time. I like many get caught in the cycle of producing something in order to satiate the need to be “okay” and “good enough” for our current standards. I also work to maintain a lifestyle that is acceptable.
Many of the standards we are running after come from the systems that have shaped us including white supremacy/male patriarchy and ableism. We have set standards measuring our worth against the white, heterosexual, able body male. Anything other is seen as less. If you are seen as less, your own biological and societal needs kick in. No one wants to be feel left out or “othered.” Our brain and biology trick us into working hard to meet those unachievable standards. This has infected the social work field even thought we advocate for change, fight systems and believe things can be better. Often we don't see the subtle nuances and we fall into the pitfalls and traps.
As social workers, we need to confront out own work standards. We need to do a significant amount of work in overriding the badges of honor for never taking a day off, for working with the most complex clients in work environments that are often not that supportive. We are more than just a means to an end and our worth and dignity is not connected to our work even as helpful as we can be to people. It’s time we practice what we preach.
