Encouraging the Indian working population to step up their productivity, in order to enable a faster development of the nation, Narayan Murthy, Founder, Infosys, said that the country's youth should work for 70 hours every week. Commenting during the debut episode of 'The Record,' a video series by 3one4 Capital, he said, "Somehow our youth have the habit of taking not-so-desirable habits from the west and then not helping the country."
These comments by Murthy join the long line of examples that show the pressure exerted on the working population to work extra long hours, adding to the burden of work-related stress, which is a significant danger to public health. The increasing number of heart attack cases and accounts of poor mental health among top-tier businessmen is a testament that it is not the lack of success which is driving this epidemic of job-related stress. From Abreesh Murty, Co-founder and CEO, Pepperfry, aged 51, passing from a heart attack earlier this year, to Kunal Bahl, Co-Founder, Snapdeal sharing that he feels lonely, no one is safe from the clutches of work pressure and suffocating deadlines.
Long working hours have the potential to increase the risk of severe health conditions, shared a 2021 joint news release by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
Working Long Hours Is Harmful To Health
Long working hours can add to the burdens of work stress, shared Dr Goud, Senior Psychiatrist, Kamineni Hospitals, LB Nagar, while talking to the team of OnlyMyHealth. He said, “Financial uncertainties and job insecurity add another layer of stress and anxiety. The lack of support systems and heavy workload further exacerbates the situation as our workplace culture does not prioritise mental health problems due to work-related stress.”
When it comes to long working hours, the WHO-ILO release defined it as working for 55 hours a week or more. Here are some chronic medical conditions that can be caused by long working hours.
Mental Health
Reflecting on the WHO-ILO release, The Lancet shared how overworking impacts mental health due to ‘physiological responses such as fatigue, stress, impaired sleep, and unhealthy lifestyle changes in response to the stress.’ This is exacerbated as overworking affects work performance and productivity, forming a viscous loop of stress.
Archana Singhal, Counselor and Founder, Mindwell Counsel, and Member of the Counsellors Council of India and WICCI NPWC, said, “Despite the awareness around mental health, most people hesitate to seek help due to the ever-present stigma, cultural taboo, insecurities, professional concerns, and fear of humiliation.”
Also Read: Work Stress increases the risk of premature death among men: Study
Diabetes
In a study published in the Annals of Occupational And Environmental Medicine, researchers saw that people with prediabetes who worked for more than 52 hours a week had a 95% higher risk of developing Type-2 diabetes compared to people working 35–40 hours per week. This is concerning as diabetes accounts for 20.9 deaths per 100,000 population, as per WHO data.
Heart Disease
Talking to the team of OnlyMyHealth about the stress of working long hours, Dr Dhiman Kahali, Director, Interventional Cardiology Department, BM Birla Heart Research Centre, Kolkata, said, “Mental stress is almost as bad as smoking for your heart. Long hours can induce burnout, which in turn causes anxiety, a hectic lifestyle, constant skipping of meals, and the inability to stop working. Such a stressful life puts too much pressure on the heart.”
This has been corroborated by the joint release that revealed that the number of deaths long working hours-induced cardiovascular diseases increased by 42%, and from stroke by 19%.
Also Read: Crushed By Careers: The Silent Mental Health Struggles At Work
Early Death
The WHO-ILO news release concluded that long working hours led to 7,45, 000 deaths from stroke and heart disease in 2016, which is a 29% spike from 2020. It underscored that working long hours is responsible for almost one-third of the total burden of diseases caused due to work. Long working hours are the biggest risk factor for occupational diseases, as the number of people working long hours stands at a whopping 9% of the total global population, putting more and more people at risk of work-related disability and early death.
Since everyone can not afford to just stop working long hours, it is crucial to practice methods that preserve your mental health till corporate reform takes place. Dr Singhal concluded that to escape the clutches of the stress of long working hours, it is important to be self-aware to navigate the complexities of your professional life and recognise that seeking assistance is a sign of strength, not weakness.