5 Women Explain Why They're 'Working For the Weekend,' and That's OK
If you don't love your job, you're not alone. In fact, you're far from it. Eighty-five percent of workers worldwide admit to hating their jobs when surveyed anonymously, according to a 2017 Gallup poll.
Since 2000, Gallup has polled millions of employees from nearly 200 countries around the world about their level of job satisfaction, and the poll found that jobs cause 90 percent of people more frustration than fulfillment. In fact, the number of global employees Gallup described as “emotionally disconnected from their workplaces” is only slightly better than it was in 2013 at 87 percent.
Barring the health risks of perpetual stress that can come of a work-life imbalance, it's OK to not live to work but, rather, work to live. Many women are indeed working for the weekend for a gamut of reasons and, although they may not have their dream jobs, they're nonetheless satisfied and healthy.
Here's why it's OK to work for the weekend, from five women doing it.
1. It may just pay the bills.
"I was certified as a Health Coach via the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in September 2016 and most recently as a hormone coach in March 2018, and I recently started my 'side hustle' as a health and fertility coach, mostly working nights after I put my daughter to bed," says Aisling McDonagh, health and fertility coach at The Clear Way to Conceive and single mother. "As I’m a full-time working single mom, I need the income from my day job. However, I supplement my income with health coaching. It feeds my soul and helps women be the best, healthiest version of themselves either in general or pre/post conception."
2. It's sometimes more flexible.
"I work a job I don't love because it gives me the flexibility to do what I do love, which is spending time with my family," says Bethany, a mother of two who works from home making calls for a local call center. "I don't love coldcalling people all day, but what I do love is the ability to work at home during the week so I can still spend time with my kids and then have the weekends off to really be involved with them. My job pays the bills and I never have to think about it on the weekends because I leave it all behind come Friday. I don't have anyone calling me; that's my job!"
3. It could be necessary to obtain other means of fulfillment.
"I am working for the weekend giving away free government cell phones because I am trying to get my three daughters back," says Mari Moss. "Last year I was finishing my Master's Degree in public administration so that I could get a better job and provide for my little girls, but my life was turned upside down when my husband blindsighted me with divorce. So far, the courts have been siding with him and it has been extremely difficult for me to get my life back together. It is like starting all over from the bottom and thankfully I have help, but giving away free government phones was the only thing I could do to keep up with court, visitations and work my own schedule to get my daughters back."
4. It may just come easy.
"I've always been in marketing because it's what I excel at," says Lisa, a who's been in the industry for 10 years. "I haven't ever considered doing anything else, except something like building hiking trails or leading treks because being able to get outdoors and go to the mountains on the weekends is what I work for. But I'm good at my job and it allows me the weekends off and some flexible work days to get outside and do what I love. And I know it pays a lot better than what I'd be earning if I did actually work in the outdoors."
5. It can build skills.
"My dream job would be able to work from home consulting, but here I am giving presentations in corporate meetings," says Dana, a human resources consultant. "I've never been one to be comfortable speaking in front of a room of people, but my job teaches me skills like public speaking that I wouldn't get if I'd worked from home. For now, I think it's really good for my career to keep doing what I'm doing, and maybe the remote work will come later.
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AnnaMarie Houlis is a multimedia journalist and an adventure aficionado with a keen cultural curiosity and an affinity for solo travel. She's an editor by day and a travel blogger at HerReport.org by night.
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