Excessive consumption of alcohol or drugs not only harms the individual concerned, but also affects his work. Performance goes down and often absenteeism and late-coming increases. There are chances of inappropriate behaviour that could affect the rest of the team, and various disciplinary issues may arise. With all these negative effects, a company cannot afford to ignore the problem.

Good relationships at work can make all the difference to our experience at the workplace. When we maintain congenial relationships with co-workers it helps us get our work done more smoothly, we enjoy our work more and it even motivates us to keep going despite obstacles and challenges. On the contrary, when working relationships are unpleasant, not only is it more difficult to get things done, but it also creates a negative atmosphere which affects our mood and productivity and even motivation to work.

The building, protecting and repairing of relationships is at the center of all our lives - personal and professional. As a supervisor or manager you will build and maintain thousands of relationships during your career. This makes it worth developing your relationship skills. Here are some tips on building good relationships at work.

Balancing work and other aspects of our life is an essential ingredient for a content and happy existence. Without balance, focus is on one area of life at the cost of another. 

Taking up a new job in a new city you are setting yourself up for a lot of changes - living on your own, managing your finances, exploring opportunities, being adventurous, establishing a routine for yourself. While quite exciting and a great learning experience the cumulative effect of having to adjust to all these new things all at the same time, can be quite overwhelming as well.

"While shiftwork or long working hours are hard on employees, it also affects the whole family. This is especially true for families with young children, and this can lead to communication breakdown and even marital problems. However, these can be overcome with better understanding of the situation and some planning."

We humans are designed to be alert and active during the day and sleep at night. However with the demand for work during the non-traditional hours going up, more and more people are required to be alert and work during the nights and sleep during the day. This can lead to lethargy and drowsiness at work which can affect productivity as well.