Are long working hours killing you?

More often than not, a motivating factor for candidates looking to leave their current roles are the long hours and overtime that they are expected to put in, especially for more senior level candidates.

One candidate we are working with hasn’t been able to take their legal parental leave due to work load and their child was born in December last year! Although we see more and more companies discussing well being and mental health openly, and seemingly tackling the problems, is it all just talk?

It’s no secret that working long hours is bad for our health, contributing to high stress levels and unhappiness with work-life balance.  Findings from a new study are shocking - the global study, conducted by the World Health Organisation and the International Labour Organisation found that in 2016, 745,000 people died from stroke or heart disease attributable to overwork. That’s a whopping 30% increase since 2000.

The study also found that compared with working a 35 to 40 hour week, 55 or more hours a week puts a 35% higher risk of stroke and a 17% higher risk of heart disease.  The researchers note, despite growing awareness of the health risks of burnout, the number of people working long hours is going up, not down.  The study didn’t take into account the pandemic’s impact on how we work and experts say that remote work has likely made things even worse.

The study found that working long hours is responsible for a third of all work-related illnesses, and is now the largest occupational disease risk factor.

Read the full article here! https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-57139434