For decades, psychologists around the world have emphasized the benefits of a good work-life balance. Now, a new, first-of-its-kind study from the World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that working too many hours is killing hundreds of thousands of people every year.
The research, conducted by the WHO in collaboration with the International Labor Organization, found that 488 million people around the world work what is considered too long; that is more than 55 hours per week. The study then showed that working so many hours is a serious health risk. In fact, those who work more than 55 hours a week have a 35% higher risk of having a stroke it’s a 17% higher risk of dying from heart disease, compared to those who work the standard 35-40 hours each week.
Not only that, according to the data collected by the research, in 2016, the year on which the study focused, too much work caused more than 745,000 deaths from stroke and heart disease. A 29% increase since 2000.
The link between theoverworking and cardiovascular disease was not addressed by the WHO study, but according to one Research at University College London, those who work too many hours are more likely to experiment high levels of stress, eating poorly, exercising less, and drinking more alcohol. All factors that can contribute to stroke and heart attack. The UK research looked at several studies on heart disease, as well as over 2,300 surveys, conducted from the 1970s to 2018, on working conditions in 154 countries. According to the results, it is mainly men who fall victim to this phenomenon: accounting for almost 72% of deaths related to working weeks that are too long.
In the pre-2020 world, working hours were gradually decreasing. In Europe, Directive 2003/88 / EC of the European Parliament imposes a maximum working week of 48 hours which applies to all member states. However, the arrival of the pandemic has also drastically affected the world of work and the hours spent at the desk in front of a screen. According to the last Research in Adp, As of April 2021, 10% of workers (double the pre-pandemic percentage) around the world work around 20 extra hours per week for free.
Since our offices have taken on a new shape in our living rooms and bedrooms, it has become even more difficult distinguish working life from home life. Not to mention, not going to the office makes it nearly impossible to pinpoint exactly when the work day ends. All this has led to the growing habit of working longer.
The WHO also warns that the hours of a standard work day are increasing, which puts even more people at risk. “Remote working has become the norm in many industries, and this often blurs the lines between work and private life. In addition, many companies have been forced to downsize, cutting costs and headcount to save, and people who are still on the payroll end up working more hours, ”WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a press release. “No work is worth the risk of stroke or heart disease. Now, governments, employers and employees must work together to agree on limits and protect everyone’s health ”.
THE ALARM BELLS TO BE CAREFUL
How to become aware of this bad habit, and learn not to say “no” to overtime? There are some signs to watch out for that can help us understand when we are about to reach the limit.
First of all, you have to pay attention to what our body tells us. A sedentary lifestyle, such as sitting and working long hours at a desk, can affect our health in many ways. What’s more, with the various lockdowns we’ve experienced, our range of motion was even more limited. And those who started working from home found themselves having to use makeshift desks and non-ergonomic chairs, which are causing neck and back problems. This lack of movement, along with poor posture can lead to muscle stiffness and stress on the joints, as well as headaches and fatigue.
Dr. Paul McLaren, psychiatrist of the Priory Wellbeing Center, underlines that sitting for a long time can also hurt our hearts: “Working too many hours brings a multitude of sins. The effects on physical health will depend on what a person does at work, but most of us spend hours and hours sitting in front of a screen. This threatens cardiovascular health, and can cause coronary heart disease and stroke ”.
Dr. Maria Kordowicz, head of the Social Innovation Partnership, he said: “Each of us needs rest, and this is something that has fallen by the wayside with the digital intrusion into our lives due to lockdowns. But this rate of production is not sustainable in the long term. We need to be aware of the need each of us has to rest and its impact on our emotional and physical well-being. We are not designed to sit still on your desk and stare at a screen all day, day in and day out».
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