From the time we get up in the morning until we arrive home for dinner, our mind is occupied with work. For many, work occupies the remaining hours until bedtime through work they bring home, or by travel and entertaining clients, or just being available by phone, or worry. Even for those with eight-hour jobs, after dinner there are three hours left for taking care of family, home, and other activities and interests. Many sacrifice rest to squeeze in another hour or two. This is twelve or more hours that work requires of us each day, which is seventy-five percent of our waking time.
Work is by far our major life activity.
Many people have these same resources outside of their work environment. They have professional groups, civic groups, friendships, clubs, extended family, religious groups, etc. But a growing number of people have defined themselves by their career and have very little else except their immediate family. Some of the reasons that many people define themselves by their jobs is that, they have so little time outside of work, it is where they are exposed to other people, they have never sought other types of groups, such as religious or professional groups, and many career fields or corporations move their people so frequently that community ties never get a chance to grow. The major problems faced by those who are tied so solidly to their careers are, they have no support outside of their job, so success or failure on the job, or job problems are more severe.