When Work Pauses Us: A Reminder About Time, Choice and Humanity

On 29 January, I was informed that a former work colleague had sadly passed away. He was, I believe, in his late fifties.

Like many moments of unexpected loss, the news stopped me in my tracks. It prompted a period of reflection. Not only about him, but about where I am in life, the choices I am facing in my current role, and the broader question of how we all spend our working lives.

Before even considering career change or progression, there is a more fundamental issue worth pausing on. The cost of work. Not just financially, but emotionally, mentally, and in time.

The Reality of Time at Work

Most of us will spend a significant proportion of our adult lives working. For many, work shapes our routine, identity, social circle and sense of contribution.

Some days are genuinely rewarding. Others are stressful, repetitive or simply uninspiring. That is the reality of employment, regardless of industry or seniority.

What we often forget is that time is not guaranteed.

We do not know how long we are destined to be on this earth. Some lives are cut short in their twenties, thirties or forties. Others extend well beyond retirement age. The uncertainty is uncomfortable, which is perhaps why we rarely sit with it for long.

Yet moments like this force the issue into focus.

Remembering the Person, Not Just the Role

The colleague who passed was a hard worker and genuinely down to earth. He was not someone who thrived on office politics or gossip. At least from my experience, he was steady, professional and respectful in how he carried himself.

While I did not report to him directly, I worked with him regularly. I produced reports, supported ad hoc requests, and during my early days in the organisation, I processed expense claims that he approved for payment.

These were small interactions. Routine interactions. The kind that rarely stand out at the time.

But when someone is gone, what remains are not their job title or output metrics. What remains is how they made people feel. Fair, trusted, calm, respected.

His passing is, above all else, a devastating loss for his family and for those who knew him more closely. For colleagues past and present, it is also a moment of quiet reckoning.

Work, Perspective and the Questions We Avoid

Events like this tend to raise uncomfortable but important questions.

Are we spending our time in a way that aligns with our values?

Does our work energise us, drain us, or simply pass the time?

If we were to step away tomorrow, how would we want to be remembered as a colleague or leader?

These are not questions with immediate answers. Nor are they always questions that require dramatic change. Sometimes they simply require awareness.

Career moves, role changes and new directions matter. But so does how we behave day to day in the roles we already hold.

A Call for Human Leadership

For employers, colleagues and people leaders, there is a wider lesson here.

Workplaces are built on targets, deadlines and performance indicators. They have to be. But they are also built on people. People with families, worries, ambitions and finite time.

Taking a moment to appreciate the human side of work does not weaken professionalism. It strengthens it.

That might look like taking patience where pressure would be easier, choosing clarity over criticism, or remembering that everyone carries something unseen into work each day.

These small decisions shape cultures far more than policies ever will.

Closing Thoughts

We cannot control how long we have. But we do have influence over how we spend our time and how we treat others while we are here.

Moments like this remind us that work is important, but it is not everything. Dignity, kindness and respect often leave a longer legacy than any project, report or result.

If nothing else, let this be a quiet prompt to pause, reflect, and lead, in whatever role we hold, with a little more humanity.