I don't mind working overtime as long as I get paid (premium) for extending. Even working on the 6th or even 7th day and even on holidays, I am amendable as long as get paid. But recently, my health is slowly deteriorating the more I extend my hours at the office.
Then I saw this from Yahoo and my instincts were right all along. Anyway, here it is. This study is based from London and I presume that it would be applicable here.
Working overtime could boost risk for major depressive episode
Regularly working long hours in the office might increase your risk of a serious depressive episode, according to a new study.
Researchers from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health and Queen Mary University of London examined records of more than 2,000 London-based white-collar workers in a five-year study. None of the recruits had a recent history of depression when they were enrolled in the study.
Those who worked 11 hours or more each day were between 2.3 and 2.5 times more likely to develop a major depressive episode than those who worked seven-to-eight-hour days. Researchers controlled for other factors, such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and general health.
"Long working hours don't just affect us because of the pressure and intensity of work itself, they affect us because we don't have enough time for all the other things we need for good mental health, such as good quality sleep, relationships, and opportunities for rest and exercise," Paul Farmer, chief executive of leading British mental health charity Mind, told WebMD. "Every time we squeeze more work in, many of us will be squeezing something else out.
While other studies have been done on work hours and depression, "results have not been conclusive because there is no standardized benchmark for what constitutes a 'normal' working day," reports WebMD.
A previous study by the same researchers, which also relied on the same database of London-based workers, found that overtime was linked with a 60 percent increase in coronary heart disease.
Wow, thanks for this read. Will keep this in mind when my boss says a couple of times that I have to stay back to work.;)
ReplyDeleteOr you could post a note on his desk too =P
DeleteI always challenge myself not to work overtime in order to ensure that I would be efficient during the day. At times, people who are used to doing overtimes tend to be complacent during the day.
ReplyDeleteI agree. And it could be their style to do OT just to earn more but with the same output.
DeleteMany people (esp in the upper management) confuse long working hours with productivity. I think a good work-life balance increases productivity as well as personal satisfaction.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Well not all people from the upper management does want their guys work long hours.
DeleteI actually dont mind working overtime if I am enjoying my job. But I also takes time to see a Doctor for my regular checkups to make sure I am still in good shape. :-)
ReplyDeleteSame sentiments exactly. Why you'd do OT for a job that you don't like.
Deletewell, as it's been said, there's a time for everything! work when it's time to work and do it well, but always remember it's also important to take care of yourself :) work-life balance!
ReplyDeleteYeah. For me, work should be 8 hours only, period.
DeleteThis is interesting, but sometimes job requires us to work overtime. Maybe this applies on those kind of job that requires a lot of hard work from mind and body
ReplyDeleteThose would probably be called sacrifice. Not all work that requires thinking should work long hours.
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