“Without hard work, nothing grows but weeds”

Ever since we were young, we were told that hard work is the price of success. Our parents told us that nothing good comes easy. Our teachers reiterated the same thing, study hard and earn good grades. Though there’s no denying the legitimacy of what hard work can bring, none of us can dismiss the fact that work is predominantly taking over humanity, leaving no room for other things that matter to a happy and healthy life.

An overworked labor force is an epidemic happening all around the world. From countries like Mexico, Costa Rica to Korea. Another major culprit is United States, with an average workweek of 46.7 hours, meaning that a person who leaves their home at 8 a.m., won’t leave their office until 6 p.m., a whole entire day dedicated to work and sleep, nothing else. And it seems that overworked employees from the Philippines have also reached epidemic proportions.

The Philippine Statistics Association (PSA) reported a 41% increase in the number of overworked employees since the year 1995. By the year 2015, almost 8.1 million people are now working for more than 48 hours in a week. The aforementioned report also noted that having more than the usual hours of work can interfere with the balance of personal life and work. It can also increase injury hazard risks, signal inadequate pay and can pose a long term threat to a worker’s mental health.

A Harvard Business Review article on how long working day hours can actually backfire discussed whether overworking actually works or not. In a study conducted by a Boston University Business Professor, managers could not differentiate the output of those who actually worked 80 hours a week and those who only pretended to do so. The professor found no significant evidence to prove whether overworked employees accomplished more and employees who only pretended to work accomplished less.

The aforementioned article also discussed that overworking results affects the company as well. Numerous studies around the world have reported various health issues due to stress, usually involving impaired sleep and memory, diabetes, depression and even heart disease. These health issues are already bad alone but it’s also appalling to the company with the rising health insurance costs. In foresight, overwork is terrible for both parties.

In summary, overwork diminishes our capability to progressively work on tasks that matter.

Last March, Senator Grace Poe filed Senate Resolution No. 316 asking to propose legislative measure to the rising number of overworked Filipinos.

The senator cited the aforementioned PSA report, further elaborating on the matter by citing that during the year 2015, around 8.845 million employed Filipinos are working excessive hours per week – with an overall 4.5 percent increase from the 8.467 million count from the year 2005. She then proposed a review of company policies that require employees to work long hours, an examination of labor laws and passage of legislative acts that can ensure humane work conditions for Filipinos.

The working day call for help have become a global phenomenon as well. All over the world, professionals are asking for flexible work hours that allows them to have more control over their time. More and more young entrepreneurs and startups are opting remote working, revoking traditional ideologies of the 9-to-5 work day. Flexible workspaces have also emerged like coworking spaces to give workers freedom to dedicate their time to more important matters like family and loved ones.

Would anyone believe you if you say that there are invisible monsters hidden behind success? No, not the kind of monsters that are hungry for wealth or market shares. But the one that has an unending appetite for destroying everything you’ve worked hard on anytime it pleases. The kind of monsters that feed off of a person’s self-esteem and sanity.

How can we believe in something we can’t see? How do you fight something you can’t touch? Just imagine, a hero fighting an invisible war against an intangible monster.

It’s the reality some entrepreneurs have to face. Conquering war after war of isolation and emptiness, telling their selves to live for another day – to breathe and breathe until the violence in their heads have subsided. If they’re lucky, they reach success without suffering mind wars. If not, every step they take towards their goal, is one step closer to darkness.

We know entrepreneurs to be brilliant individuals, they create new jobs and prosperity, introduce services and products that improve our daily lives and even help economies grow. And it only makes sense that most of us assume that all of them are living the dream. Yet unbeknownst to us is a dark side startups have – one that they are most likely familiar with.

In a 2015 study conducted by UCSF clinical professor Dr. Michael Freeman, he linked high rates of mental issues to entrepreneurship. Surveying 242 entrepreneurs, 49% of them reported having a mental-health condition. Depression was present in 30% of all the participants and is also the number one reported condition, shortly followed by ADHD and anxiety problems. Another study suggests that authority can be linked to depression, and that entrepreneurs or CEOs may be depressed more than double the rate of the general masses. Popular articles have also claimed that success comes with numerous strings to them and can possibly pull a person down.

The quiet war between startups and depression have been going around for so long that they’ve already lost several members of their community. It’s a war that no one sees or no one talk about.

The problem isn’t new, according to experts. It was something that successful people struggle with for most of their adult life. Yet at the same time, it is something they continue to fail to talk about. Afraid that it will be taken as a sign of their weakness, entrepreneurs hide their pain away – only for things to go for the worse in the long run. Running a business itself can be quite a stressor to a person’s emotional well-being. The risk of failure is too high to ignore. Moreover, Harvard Business School lecturer Shikhar Ghosh have said in a study that three out of four startups fail. Hence, they are exposed to traumatic events along the way. And with habits such as eating too much or too little as well as lack of sleep and physical exercise, it’s not much of a surprise that entrepreneurs are more susceptible to anxiety and despair than most people.

Research have also said that the innate character traits many entrepreneurs share make them vulnerable to strong emotional states. And though psychological makeup differs from one person to another, significant setbacks in the business can knock anyone to the ground. Numerous successful people in history have gone through a silent battle against the incapacitating depression in their heads. Throughout this unending war, there are some who have won and sadly, there are those who lost.

At the same time, there are still those who continue to fight on a daily basis. They inhabit their own little ways of keeping their selves in check. They make more time for themselves and their loved ones by acquiring Coworking Spaces membership. Instead of staying in one dull office, they move around these communal areas to interact and for creativity to flow. More importantly, they try to admit their vulnerability to those around them. Though it may be hard, they strive to be more emotionally honest and connect deeply with their family and friends. In addition to this is gathering up the courage to ask for help.

These invisible monsters lurking in the day do not pick their victims by wealth or social status. That being said, all around us are hundreds of unsung heroes going through their own battles silently asking for help.

Give them a hand and be a little nicer to everyone. Any amount of kindness can lead to someone’s happiness.

A traditional workplace would usually have small cubicles, plain office desks, conference rooms as well as a pantry. Though functional, it is often perceived as soul-draining, stale boxes that corporations use to house their operations.

As pessimistic as it sounds, this negative connotation towards desks and cubicles have been around for as long as society can remember. Even movies and TV shows depicted the bad reputations of offices and have made fun of how it seems to be void of inspiration whatsoever. However, despite all that, enterprises and in certain cases, even startups, opt for these dull boxes.

That is, until the industry felt the change brought to us by the upsurge of Millennials in today’s workforce.

With a generation that values purpose in their work, it comes as no surprise that these young professionals are searching for workplaces that foster creativity. Moreover, these types of offices bring so much more to the table other than attracting the best in today’s diverse talent pool.

Creativity comes with a price, it takes risk and courage to face the unknown. And traditional office life provides no room for trying new things and failure. What most corporations doesn’t understand is that it allows for more meaningful results. Moreover, creativity is not just pretty presentations. Instead, it’s all about out-of-the box concepts and coming up with unique ways to solve problems.

Creative thinking and the courage to be daring shells out new ideas. These “thinkers” are valued in the workplace for their ability to create great results in mundane circumstances. Innovative problem solving comes into play when individuals are able to see all sides of an issue – coming up with solutions that are outright new and interesting, this surely takes the company to a whole new direction instead of going through the same beaten path.

According to experts, disengaged employees cost organizations $450 to $550 billion, annually. Uninspired employees have the tendency to feel sluggish with their work and would often rely on the same concepts and solutions. And in order to avoid your team from going static, it’s important to implement changes that will cultivate creativity within the walls of your office. Not just by adding Ping Pong tables or nap rooms, but by actually embedding a culture that keeps individuals engaged and that provides importance and respect to other people’s ideas and thoughts.

Encourage individualism and teamwork. Allow your team to bring their whole self to work and give them the ability to inspire diversity and non-conformity. In addition to this, give positive feedback rather than negative ones. Rewarding them for being brave enough to take risks can motivate them to come up with unique ways to improve your services and even your workplace.

Fostering creativity at work can also be attained by actually moving into an office space that strongly encourages it. Startups and even large corporations can give Coworking a try. These well-known shared spaces take pride in the creative flow it allows within its vicinity. Moreover, with such a diverse community, self-expression is highly encouraged.

Being creative means taking risks and remaining fearless in the face of failure. Though it is often frowned upon, it invites and demands innovation.

Face your fears, see success in failure and join the community of the brave.

There’s an estimated 300 million people trying to start about 150 million businesses and about one third of them will be launched – resulting to about 50 million new firm births per year.

In the recent years, the economy witnessed an upsurge on startup companies. According to the 2015 Kauffman Foundation Index on Startup Activity, the number of startups ascended during the year 2014 after going through a downward cycle from the year 2010. In addition to this, the rebound startups represent strength in the economy and could generate hope for further economic growth.

From the same report of Kauffman Foundation Index, 84% of new entrepreneurs started their companies because of opportunities they spotted while up to 10% of it was because they couldn’t find employment – more so because they found a necessity.

Recent surveys have found that last year have been a kind year for diversity. Rising from 220 per 100,000 to 260, the number of women who opened startups reach its highest rate in almost 20 years. The minorities and immigrants gained as well.

As for sales, small companies have experienced a 7 percent boost in their revenue within the year 2015 with an overall of 45% increase over the past six years according to the financial analysis firm Sageworks.

Accompanying the upsurge of startups is a demand for workspaces that would fit the needs of a budding company. With limited time and resources, startups need all the help that they can get.

There are angel investors, companies who act as patrons that invest in startup companies for the exchange of equity ownership. Startup Accelerators providing education, mentorship and financing as support to them. Incubators on the other hand provide workspaces, funding, mentoring and training. As well as Business Process Outsourcing companies or BPOs that provide resources and manpower.

Another kind of firm that helps them thrive are flexible workspaces.

The demand for affordable yet competitive office space for small businesses and enterprises created a market for a flexible system that would benefit all industries. Providers of seat leasing services, private offices, and virtual office plans relieve them of the financial burden that comes with traditional office spaces.

One of the most established office solutions in the industry, Seat Leasing provides its clients with premier office space and more flexible terms. A startup can easily bootstrap its first office with sites ready for plug and play.

Inclusive of the latest equipment and facilities needed for operations to run smoothly, seat leasing have become one of the go-to options of young entrepreneurs in choosing their company’s first ever office. Moreover, it saves money and time, both of which are detrimental to the success of a company building its name.

The latest addition to the different kinds of flexible workspaces, Coworking Spaces’ rise to fame can be traced to the numerous benefits it gives not only to the business itself but as well as the positive impact it has on employees.

Creating a platform for innovation and collaboration, Coworking Spaces is a shared workplace that caters to this generation’s freelancers, startup teams and young professionals. It offers private and shared desks as well as business lounges — giving its members the freedom to choose the office environment that they need.

Several studies and surveys have confirmed the claims of an increase in productivity and overall happiness reported by coworkers. In addition to this, the community fostered within these communal areas and the opportunity of expanding network is what attracts startups to opt for the membership based office space. In addition to this, members get more control in their working hours – allowing them to have a better work and life balance.

Today’s technology gave our workforce more opportunities to do what they love. Accompanied by the tried-and-tested helping hands of the industry as well as the new ones, startups can face the coming economic challenges with confidence.

The increase of startups have inspired people to rid themselves of the job they had to get in order to survive and create a job that they actually want. Though it’s never rosy, we’re here to help.

As kids, we were told that the secret to success is hard work. Though true, what the grown-ups meant by hard work is grinding through long hours and late nights. Powering through fatigue, thinking that all of this labor will be worth it – it’s effective, tycoons from the past can attest to it.

But behind the success stories of businessmen working their way up towards success, is the ugly truth – the drawback laborers of the early years dismissed; burnout.

Employee burnout is not much of a selcouth occurrence in the industry. It’s nothing new to most companies yet in the recent years, it posed as a big threat to the labor force worldwide.

Records of profit and growth in companies, projected economy growth of almost 50% and unemployment rate decreasing – all mask the truth that more and more individuals are working harder than before for a minimum wage.

A recent study conducted by Kronos Incorporated and Future Workplace, said that 95 percent of human resource leaders reported their workforces being sabotaged by employee burnout. To make things worse, the said number came from more than 600 Chief Human Resource Officers and HR managers from organizations of all sizes.

In addition to this, the psychological and physical issues burnout brings costs an estimated $125 billion to $190 billion a year of healthcare spending.

What caused the sudden spread of burnout are pretty obvious. Productivity of employees skyrocketed between 2000 and 2014 yet wages and benefits remained the same. According to the Economic Policy Institute, productivity increased by 21.6 percent, but wages only grew by 1.8 percent during the said time period.

The unfair compensation is also paired with unreasonable workload to boast. More priorities are given and executives expect their employees to multitask with their phones and laptops. The most capable ones in the workforce are the usual victims of overloaded workload.

Organizational control also has a fair share of fault with the increase experts have observed. Human Resource Leaders from the study of Kronos Incorporated and Future Workplace have said that poor management, the employee’s inability to see a clear connection between their individual role and corporate strategy as well as negative workplace culture fuels burnouts.

The aforementioned ailments accompanied by outside factors like long commutes and stress in daily life contribute to the overall chances of an individual to be burnt out.

Hard work is and remains to be a critical part in achieving success but sometimes you’re exerting so much effort yet it does so little – damaging what’s left of your mental being.

Giving yourself a proper break – one where you don’t constantly check your phone for emails and whatnot – is important.  Overworking your brain is actually futile to your productivity. A 2011 study said that our brains take in about 174 newspapers’ worth of information in a normal day. It’s no surprise that our brains get overwhelmed since its capacity to process is only limited.

Science suggests that taming multitasking is therapeutic. It gives the brain the chance to breathe and restore itself after working so hard. Several studies have said that taking naps (even 10 minutes naps) improve cognitive function, vigor and even decreases fatigues.

The world expects a lot from an adult; build careers and futures without forgetting about personal relationships and happiness. They hoped for a balance between those four things yet made it so hard to achieve. It gets paralyzing at one point and we find ourselves hoping and praying for a few minutes for ourselves.

Luckily, some of us got sick of the work culture the older generation left us with and created an innovation that creates the balance all of us have been looking for.

Offering freedom to isolate and collaborate, “Coworking Spaces” is a kind of flexible workspace that prioritizes productivity and creative freedom. Open for freelancers, professionals and entrepreneurs of all industries, coworking spaces offers business lounges, private desks, meeting rooms and conference rooms. It allows its members to choose between working alone or collaborating with other members – giving them more control on their productivity

Grown-ups always told us that adulthood is easy but not one of them said it would be this hard and arduous. From one adult to another, we’re here to help you extinguish the ember that can kickoff burnout.