Overworking Causes Health Problems

We've probably all felt overworked at times. The occasional late night at the office and working a weekend can make us feel tired and rundown. But, is it possible that it's actually affecting our health? I recently read an article about a Japanese man who suddenly died at the age of 45 in 2006. The cause of death was cited as ischemic heart disease, likely a result of his working over 80 hours of overtime per month.

The man was employed as a lead engineer for Toyota. He was under intense pressure to complete a hybrid version of Toyota's Camry when he was found dead in his home in Toyota City, Japan. He often worked nights and weekends in preparation of unveiling the hybrid at Detroit's North American International Auto Show. Because he passed at home, no work benefits were transferred to his family so they began to seek legal action. A ruling handed down on June 30th will allow his family to begin collecting on his insurance in part because of Japan's health ministry recognizing overwork deaths as a phenomenon.

Studies show that in 2004, 1/3 of all U.S. employees were viewed as being chronically overworked. With a statistic like this it's easy to fall into the trap of believing that we are being more productive when working more hours. The opposite is actually true. The same study suggests the following problems occur with overworked employees:

• They are more likely to make mistakes
• They are more likely to feel anger towards their employers
• They are more likely to resent co-workers for working less than they
  

In many cases, we won't find ourselves working 80 hours of overtime in a month, however, it doesn't likely take this much to affect our health. There are tons of mental and physical side effects of overworking. The Sloan Work and Family Research Network at Boston College revealed that 21% of participants in a 2005 study had higher levels of depression than those who were not overworked.

Stress is likely the most common effect of overwork, but it can manifest in several harmful ways. Far too often it's taken lightly as something we can't do anything about. First, recognize your symptoms:

• Job dissatisfaction
• Sleep disturbances
• Short temper
• Upset stomach
• Headache
• Low morale
• Teeth grinding
• Increased use of drugs or alcohol
  

These may seem like minor health issues, but the bigger picture is their long term effects. All of the above symptoms can easily turn into:

• Cardiovascular disease
• Musculoskeletal disorders
• Psychological disorders
  

So how on earth can we all stay healthy and keep up with our workload?

Learning to set limits and saying no to an overwhelming workload is probably the hardest lesson many of us who are overworked will learn. In an article by Chrissy Scivique, she explains it's appropriate to say no but it must be done in the following ways:

• Be respectful and professional
• Explain your reasons - be heartfelt and honest
• Show a sincere desire to solve the problem - offer alternatives
• Discuss the matter with a supervisor if you feel uncomfortable
  

These will likely work in any scenario as it's always important to hedge overwork before it begins. Ideally, you shouldn't work over 40 hours a week. Of course, a little overtime every now and then won't likely harm us, but it's important to keep it to a minimum. In a poll done by LifeHacker.com, 28% of the participants answered that their average work week was between 40-49 hours. A close second was 20% at 50-59 hours. This is proving to be an epidemic.

There are other ways to avoid overworking than simply saying no. Balance is a much needed tool in today's workplace. Begin by hiring the appropriate number of staff needed in your office. This will reduce the extra time needed for projects by adding more workers to get it done. If you're not the person responsible for doing so, speak with your supervisor to explain the need.

Increase communication between yourself and others in the office. When work needs to be redone because of changes or mistakes, it often leads to overtime and more work. Expand your lines of communication to ensure that things are being done correctly the first time.

We can't always avoid overtime. There will simply be a need to work more than our scheduled hours to ensure something important gets done on time. But, we can definitely keep it to a minimum in an effort to thwart any looming health problems that may arise as a result. Our health is always more important than our paycheck, yet it is easy to be blinded by those dollars. Use this information to help manage the balance between good work and good health.