Incoming call for Working to Death

Voice calling, Manager calling, friends’ calling, Mother’s calling is very common to hear and our emotions and facial expressions changes accordingly. When the Manager calls, the thoughts pop up as “why is he/she calling me” “Oh no!.... Probably I am screwed”. Similarly friends and parent’s calls are the time of emotional bonding and sometimes an invitation for taking out all the grudges and get relaxed. Only time, we reach out to manager is when we need sick leave or holiday.

Now a day’s people know the price of everything whether its car, house, dress or anything but value of such things are not known. Time is limited to 24 hours for every individual. Within this limited time, spending time with family is more important than spending money on them. These days, working in private companies or own business is very tough. Working overtime is considered part of daily office life. Logging out at 6pm gives a feeling to the managers and colleagues that someone didn’t do his work properly. These days, working overtime doesn’t make you rich but definitely make you sick.  Situation in offices demands that “to be the best and successful, you have to work overtime”. 

Falling in the trap of being successfully, people work overtime. Have you thought the price you pay for overtime?

1.      You would have missed eating healthy food and would fall sick. You would have missed spending time with your loved ones

2.      Your children would be gone to the next grade without your knowledge

3.      No contribution to your child education

4.      You might have bought a house or car but you forget to make it a home or lovely possession for your family

5.      Your loved partner may have missed your kiss or hugging and your child would have grown up without your affection

6.      Sometimes due to regular overtime work ,one might get admitted to hospital due to some illness like body pain, heart attacks

Why do we have 8 hours’ work days?

In 18^th century companies started to maximize the output by making people work for 24/7. Initially the average person was not working for himself but he was working for the business of the employer. During the industrial revolution in Britain, a concept of the  8 hour working and 40 hour a week was introduced. Later giving importance to social and family life in 1817, slogan was changed to “Eight hours' labour, Eight hours' recreation, Eight hours' rest". Karl Marx advocated for short working days. He argued that longer workdays not only harmed the worker 

but they harmed the employer because workers were less productive. It’s like robbing the physical and moral development of a human labor power.

Now we are in the 21^st century where technology, human development, business and industries are prospering. We know our rights still we are forgetting and working as a forced labor. Without falling in the same trap, it’s time to work efficiently for the company, devotion towards the family and taking proper rest so as to bring back positive energies for the very next day.

We have to accept that we are humans and not machines. Human needs 4 energies to manage every day

Your physical energy – how healthy are you?

Your emotional energy – how happy are you?

Your mental energy – how well can you focus on something?

Your spiritual energy – why are you doing all of this? What is your purpose?

Symptoms of Overtime work load:

Usually the employees who work overtime tend to ignore the symptoms of ill health and don’t seek medical help. Later it becomes the cause of death.

1. Psychological distress – it comes with depression, anxiety, don’t get proper sleep and talk about work in the sleep

2. High or low blood pressure which can damage the heart due to work related stress. It is also one of the rising causes of young age heart attacks.

3. Body and joint pains due to sitting or standing for a long time related to the work conditions. Many software engineers get finger and back pains due to continuous working on computer.

4. Sick leaves are common where work pressure is high

5. Common stress symptoms are headache, not feeling hungry, tension, frequently checking mails in mobiles, obesity, rude, car or bike accidents as brain stops working due to work over load

Comparing world’s working cultures

Sweden

Sweden made headlines recently that country is moving to a six hour work day. Employers at Toyota noticed that impact of shorter duration made staffs happier, less attrition, better productivity and profit went up. Meanwhile, there are many job flexibility options such as flexible work time management, sabbatical leaves, paternal leaves are also shared.  After 5pm, Swedish employees go home to take care of the families. Working overtime in Sweden gives an indication of poor time management and poor planning.

United States of America

Work timing occupies the most strictly defined time in offices. Mostly Americans work for 8 hours a day. Most people have a tendency to finish work on the agreed deadlines. Working more than 8 hours demands overtime pays. Work is just a part of life and not Life.

Germany

German works 35 hours per week but maintains high level of productivity. Germany is the Europe’s industrial powerhouse and the leading good manufacturer for exporting. In German business culture, an employee at the office must concentrate only at work and shouldn’t be gossiping with co-worker or facebook. Work hard and Play hard suits Germans. Employees don’t hang out together after work as they maintain separate family and work life. The German government is currently considering a ban on work-related emails after 6pm so that there is no work pressure and connectivity between employer and employee after working hours. Germans are extremely punctual and even, a minute delay can offend them. Germans demand utmost respect from ever individuals and any unethical behavior can diminish any future negotiations.  

Japan

After Second World War, Japanese worked the longest hour to revive their country. In the post war era, men worked with sense of purpose and psychologically motivated to bring growth the economy. Later same enthusiasm brought dark glory. The Japanese coined a new term for death due to overwork known as “Karoshi”. Conditions for Karoshi is also laid out in Japan- victims must have worked more than 100 hours of overtime in the month before their death – or 80 hours of overtime in two or more consecutive months in the previous six. When we are talking about 40 hours a week, here victims would have worked double hours- 16 hours a day. Deaths of youngster, engineers, middle age man are rising at an alarming rate.  

So next time when you go to office - Decide what you want in your life. Be an excellent achiever in office by working really long hours or be a good employee, lovely parent and darling partner at the same time.  Please be aware that work never gets over. How you manage your time matters at the end of the day!