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Some thoughts on weekends, work, and trade unions (which brought us 'the weekend'!)... obvious caveat we don't all have the same work patterns, some weekend work is contractual, etc - but as a principle we are supposed, in theory, to have a break each week. We should take it. /1
I'm a case in point of finding it hard to observe my own advice. My current union role involves me being bought out of a lot of my 'day job' at the moment (less buyout next month, but then up to almost 100% from June, when I become President) so union work shd be my 'day job'/2
Most union reps & officers don't have it so lucky - some do get facilities time ('buyout') - so (like me) they're on the same wages, with some time released for union work. Facilities time is rarely (probably never) enough. Many have none, all union work is in their spare time /3
When, facilities or not, you're used to working round the clock on union stuff, whether casework, consultation, campaigning, negotiation, research, whatever it is: it's very difficult to switch it off. I often have such good intentions to rest, then read an email/messages/news /4
I'm not sure what the answer is, not least because I would be energised about those things regardless of any union position / not, and all of this stuff is very much related to activists and risks of burnout (plenty of that around after the latest GE...). /5
I know it is particularly difficult sometimes for academics whose research and/or teaching is connected to activism and activist communities they're part of, to work out how to 'take a break' - how can you when your head is whirring around all over the place? /6
So, I have ended up in a silly place where I've managed to internalise:
- guilt about not working even when should be resting
- guilt about not resting / being visibly tired in case it makes anyone else feel pressure to always work/be activisting
Neither of these is helpful /7
- guilt about not working even when should be resting
- guilt about not resting / being visibly tired in case it makes anyone else feel pressure to always work/be activisting
Neither of these is helpful /7
Eg: 2 conversations already had today (in theory resting) about NEC next wk. I don't want *anyone* to feel bad for being in touch, I know it's ok+reasonable not to reply right away. But I want to discuss, don't always have time in the week. This is often how workload overspills/8
Anyway, I don't know the answer (I don't know that there is just one answer), but this is why workload is a health + safety issue. So do I go for a walk or run now or give in to getting stuck into the issue I was planning to look at on Monday, because it will bug me? /9
I hope it's obvious, anyway, that I think *everyone* deserves *proper* breaks, lots of people work hard, that activism is important, and also knackering! The intensity of our work culture (at risk of being more 'always on' with remote work) definitely exacerbates all of this. /10
