The Health Hazards of Overworking
It’s time to work less; your life may depend on it
Work too much? Need an excuse to put in fewer hours? Feel free to wave this new study under the nose of your boss: Working too many hours causes physical and mental stress that killed 745,194 people before their time in a single year around the globe, due to heart disease and strokes.
The analysis, the first analysis of its kind, was done by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization and was published May 17 in the journal Environment International. It analyzed data from 2016 and years prior, finding that deaths in 194 countries tied to excessive work hours rose 29% since the year 2000.
“Working 55 hours or more per week is a serious health hazard,” said Dr. Maria Neira, director of the WHO’s Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health. “It’s time that we all, governments, employers, and employees wake up to the fact that long working hours can lead to premature death.”
The long and short of it
Average weekly hours fell during the second half of the 20th century in most countries, the study authors note, but in recent decades it has leveled off or risen, and the rise is expected to continue, according to other research.
