When to walk away
I'm sure we could swap stories about working particularly hard at some point in our life. Feeling exhausted, worn out, temperamental and not performing at our best. In an ideal world we would avoid such stresses and strains, but in reality going "above and beyond" seems to be part of securing some financial stability, raising a family, buying a house, funding retirement, or whatever your financial goals might be.
But a recent local news article got me thinking about where each of us draws the line and says "enough".
ABC News (Australia) reports that Miwah Van, a senior executive, is suing Woolworths for discrimination and adverse action. Woolworths is one of our two large supermarket chains. Ms Van has reported suffering from a suspected stroke, temporary blindness and being hospitalised 5 times. A diagnosis of breast cancer and subsequent treatment from her employer also raised claims of bullying.
After reading the article, I remain unsure of where any fault might lay. Senior executive roles obviously require a very strong personal commitment, including long hours, high stress levels and a need to shoulder a lot of responsibility. But maybe Woolworths' demands were excessive, putting way too much on Ms Van's plate. Honestly, I don't know.
What I do know is that if I was in Ms Van's position, once my health was noticeably suffering, I would have been out of there. I'm sure that Ms Van was compensated handsomely in a senior role with one of our largest companies. But what value is a large salary if the situation sends you to hospital with a stroke?
After persisting at Woolworths whilst her health deteriorated, she is now bringing legal action that will no doubt take many months, if not years. That legal action will be stressful. The whole ordeal will be turned over again and again. I can't imagine that any of that will help Ms Van's health. If her action is successful, she will walk away with a sum of money. But at what cost?
I'm sure there is an argument for Ms Van to remain in her role to the bitter end, to bring legal action against her employer and hold them to account. Part of me admires her tenacity to grit her teeth and persist.
But for me personally, my "enough" is a long way from Ms Van's. I'll take my health over a job.
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