Can employees overwork themselves to death?

In some companies in the Philippines, overtime work has almost become a source of additional income for hardworking employees. In some countries, the trend is towards lesser work-hours per week. In Germany, millions of Germans won the right to work on a 28-hour workweek, to have more time for their family, in a recent deal involving workers’ demand for work-life balance, among other union issues. The deal between IGMetall (the union) and German car manufacturers covers industrial workers in BadenWürttemberg, but could be extended to other parts of the country.

Most overworked countries

According to data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Germans already work far fewer hours than most countries. In its latest Employment Outlook report, published in 2017, OECD suggests, “the average German works 1,363 hours annually (which equates to around 26 hours a week). None of the other 37 countries to feature in the study toil for less time each year. The average Briton works 1,676 hours a year, according to OECD data – or the equivalent of around 32 hours per week, which also puts it towards the better end of the table. Also enjoying plenty of downtime are citizens of The Netherlands, Norway, Denmark and France.”

The hardest working country of all, according to OECD, is Mexico, where the average citizen works 2,255 hours a year, or a little over 43 hours a week. Rounding off the top ten are Costa Rica, often de- scribed as the world's happiest country; South Korea, Greece, Chile, Russia, Poland, Latvia, Israel, and Lithuania.

The countries where people work least in terms of average work hours per week are: Germany, Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria and Sweden.

Work-Life Balance in USA

According to the Center for American Progress on the topic of work and family life balance, “in 1960, only 20 percent of mothers worked. Today, 70 percent of American children live in households where all adults are employed.” The U.S. is the ONLY country in the Americas without a national paid parental leave benefit. The average is over 12 weeks of paid leave anywhere other than Europe and over 20 weeks in Europe.

Another study says that 134 countries have laws setting the maximum length of the workweek; the U.S. does not. In the U.S., 85.8 percent of males and 66.5 percent of females work more than 40 hours per week. According to the ILO, “Americans work 137 more hours per year than Japanese workers, 260 more hours per year than British workers, and 499 more hours per year than French workers.” Using data by the U.S. BLS, the average productivity per American worker has increased 400% since 1950.

Death by Overworking

According to the New York Times, an unsettling research revealed how your health is affected by your work. A study by the Harvard Medical School also found that 23% of workers experience insomnia and many others are suffering from a lack of rest. Sleep deprivation is costing US companies $63.2 billion in lost productivity each year.

The Manpower Group found that over 35% of people eat lunch at their desk every day and most employees never take enough breaks to renew their energy. A Pew Research Center study reported that over 50% of employees check their work email on the weekends and 34% of them check email on vacation. Further research proves that we’re ruining our health and productivity by working too hard and too long.

In Japan, physicians have a diagnosis called “karoshi.” It literally translates to “death by overwork” and it refers to the sudden death of an employee, usually from a heart attack or stroke due to stress at work.

Since 1980, the number of deaths due to “karoshi” has tremendously increased. Karoshi was also labeled as the cause for hundreds of severe illnesses, suicide attempts and mental illnesses each year. Government pressured Japanese companies to change. Toyota limited the amount of overtime per employee per month. Mitsubishi Bank allowed employees to go home up to three hours early to care for children or elderly relatives.

How to overcome overwork

Here are a few tips from work-life balance experts:

Take short breaks after intense 90-minute work. Florida State University’s Dr. K. Anders Ericsson discovered that the top performers work in approxi- mately 90–minute sessions and then take a break. They focus intensely and then give themselves a break to recover and regain energy.

Intersperse work and exercise. Exercise reduces stress at work.

When you leave work, leave work. Don’t bring your work at home. Home is for family and rest.

Have a hobby or creative outlet. Take creative pursuits that help reduce stress.

Meditate. Have quiet time, and refocus your mind.

Breathe. Breathe in through the nose, hold it, and breather out through the mouth. Repeat.

Take short naps. Regular 20minute naps at lunchtime can reduce stress and incidence of heart attacks by 37%, according to medical experts.

Sleep early. Have ample rest and sleep. But not during working time.

Here are a couple of wise quotes I’ve read. “You can’t do a good job if your job is all you do.” “Never get too busy making a living that you forget to have a life.”

(Email: erniececilia@gmail.com)