Your jokes to friends about your boss "working you to death" may not seem so comical after you've read the results of this study by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
According to a report by Reuters, the study managed to prove that working long hours was actually killing hundreds of people a year.
The worst part is that the trend is worsening thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The study, which is the first-ever global study to look at loss of life in relation to longer working hours, was published in Environment International journal.
The study revealed that 745,000 people had died from stroke and heart disease - all associated with longer working hours in 2016.
In fact, the study showed that there was an increase of nearly 30% when comparing death rates from 2016 to 2000.
"Working 55 hours or more per week is a serious health hazard," said Maria Neira, director of the WHO's Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health.
"What we want to do with this information is promote more action, more protection of workers," she commented.
The study also showed that most victims - at least 72% - were men who were middle-aged or older.
The joint study by the WHO and the International Labour Organization also showed that the deaths occurred much later in life, sometimes decades after the hours put in at work.
Workers in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific region most affected
Additionally, the study also showed that workers in the Southeast Asia and Western Pacific region were most affected.
Participants from over 194 countries were involved in the study itself.
In summary, the findings show that working 55 hours or more in a week is linked to higher risks in getting a stroke (35%) and a higher risk of dying from heart diseases (17%).
As the study covered the year 2000 to 2016, it did not include statistics from the current COVID-19 period.
Officials from WHO however, acknowledge that there was a general increase in working hours throughout the world.
"The pandemic is accelerating developments that could feed the trend towards increased working time," the WHO said, estimating that at least 9% of people work long hours at the moment.
At the WHO itself, it's chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, admitted that working hours were long these days because of the pandemic.
Officials there hope to improve on current policies in line with the findings of the study.
Honestly, working beyond the required hours has become a sort of norm in this country.
According to the Malaysian Employment Act 1955, a work week is defined as 48 hours, with a maximum of eight hours per day and six working days a week.
Most of us work more than that.
In fact, a study by Kisi on work-life balance in 2020 ranked Kuala Lumpur as the 4th most overworked city among 50 cities around the world that they examined.
ALSO READ: KL Fourth Most Overworked City In The World According To US-Based Study
Couple Kisi's report with the findings by WHO's study, and it's apparent that things don't look so good for Malaysians at all.
Our only hope is for the people in charge (the ministries, associations, employers) to relook at how we work.
Start creating a culture where getting work done within the stipulated working hours is encouraged and introduce policies that encourage work-life balance.
If we can move towards this, everyone will be happier and live longer too.
According to a report by Reuters, the study managed to prove that working long hours was actually killing hundreds of people a year.
The worst part is that the trend is worsening thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The study, which is the first-ever global study to look at loss of life in relation to longer working hours, was published in Environment International journal.
The study revealed that 745,000 people had died from stroke and heart disease - all associated with longer working hours in 2016.
Scary facts
What's most concerning is that the numbers of deaths are on the rise.In fact, the study showed that there was an increase of nearly 30% when comparing death rates from 2016 to 2000.
"Working 55 hours or more per week is a serious health hazard," said Maria Neira, director of the WHO's Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health.
"What we want to do with this information is promote more action, more protection of workers," she commented.
The study also showed that most victims - at least 72% - were men who were middle-aged or older.
The joint study by the WHO and the International Labour Organization also showed that the deaths occurred much later in life, sometimes decades after the hours put in at work.
Workers in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific region most affected
Additionally, the study also showed that workers in the Southeast Asia and Western Pacific region were most affected.
Participants from over 194 countries were involved in the study itself.
In summary, the findings show that working 55 hours or more in a week is linked to higher risks in getting a stroke (35%) and a higher risk of dying from heart diseases (17%).
Pandemic period yet to be accounted for
As the study covered the year 2000 to 2016, it did not include statistics from the current COVID-19 period.
Officials from WHO however, acknowledge that there was a general increase in working hours throughout the world.
"The pandemic is accelerating developments that could feed the trend towards increased working time," the WHO said, estimating that at least 9% of people work long hours at the moment.
At the WHO itself, it's chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, admitted that working hours were long these days because of the pandemic.
Officials there hope to improve on current policies in line with the findings of the study.
Malaysian employers and employees should take study seriously
We hope that the data is taken seriously by employers in Malaysia as well.Honestly, working beyond the required hours has become a sort of norm in this country.
According to the Malaysian Employment Act 1955, a work week is defined as 48 hours, with a maximum of eight hours per day and six working days a week.
Most of us work more than that.
In fact, a study by Kisi on work-life balance in 2020 ranked Kuala Lumpur as the 4th most overworked city among 50 cities around the world that they examined.
ALSO READ: KL Fourth Most Overworked City In The World According To US-Based Study
Couple Kisi's report with the findings by WHO's study, and it's apparent that things don't look so good for Malaysians at all.
Our only hope is for the people in charge (the ministries, associations, employers) to relook at how we work.
Start creating a culture where getting work done within the stipulated working hours is encouraged and introduce policies that encourage work-life balance.
If we can move towards this, everyone will be happier and live longer too.
