Yikes – overwork can kill you:
… those working a 55-hour week face 33% increased risk of stroke than those working a 35- to 40-hour week.
And to make matters worse, all those extra hours don’t even mean you get more work done:
[Overwork] … doesn’t seem to result in more output.
So overwork is killing employees while not improving business results. Can we stop it already?
I quit a job almost two years ago, without another one lined up, because the 60-hour weeks were taking a toll on my health–so much so that a doctor called my schedule “unsustainable and bad for your health” and eventually advised me to leave.
My ex-boss knew about my health issues, and knew about my doctor’s orders to limit my work hours to no more than 40 per week, but refused to allow me to do that. Of course she denied all this when she contested my claim for unemployment.
Because I had documentation of work hours, of conversations with the boss about my health, and of specific effects on my health from stress and overwork (among many other things), the state determined I’d had good cause to quit, and my unemployment claim was approved.
I am now working about 30-35 hours a week while pursuing my passion for writing part-time–and I’m not only much more productive, but also much happier and healthier.
I guess it does not come as a surprise how long working hours have a very dangerous effect on our health. Overworking is never a good idea. A number of studies have already proven how overworking does not even translate to “getting more things done”. My work motto–and I often share this to my colleagues on days when they need a good reminder– is to work smarter, not harder.
Khris Villoria