Thousands of people die every year from long hours of work 0:47
London (CNN Business) -
Working long hours is killing hundreds of thousands of people a year from strokes and heart disease, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
In a global analysis of the link between loss of life and health and long-term work, the WHO and the International Labor Organization estimated that, in 2016, some 745,000 people died as a result of working at least 55 hours a week.
Most of the deaths were among people ages 60 to 79, who had worked at least 55 hours between the ages of 45 and 74.
Men were the hardest hit, accounting for 72% of deaths, the analysis found.
People living in the western Pacific and Southeast Asia and middle-aged and older workers shoulder a particularly significant share of the disease burden, according to the report.
The study, published Monday in the journal Environment International, found that deaths from long-term work-related heart disease increased by 42% between 2000 and 2016, and strokes by 19%.
People who worked 55 hours or more a week had an estimated 35% higher risk of having a stroke and a 17% higher risk of dying from ischemic heart disease (heart disease caused by narrowing of the arteries) compared to those who worked 35-40 hours a week, the study found.
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"Working 55 hours or more per week is a serious health hazard," Dr. Maria Neira, director of the WHO Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, said in a statement.
"It is time for all of us, governments, employers and employees, to realize that long working hours can lead to premature death."
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The WHO said there are two ways that working long hours can cause death.
First, the psychological stress of working long hours can generate a physiological response, triggering reactions in the cardiovascular system and injuries that cause a change in the tissues.
The second, through unhealthy behaviors in response to stress, including smoking, drinking alcohol, poor diet, physical inactivity, and poor sleep and recovery, all considered risk factors for heart disease and stroke.
The analysis reviewed a period prior to March 11, 2020, when the WHO declared the novel coronavirus outbreak to be a pandemic.
But he said the coronavirus pandemic could be putting significant pressure on employees who have been forced to work from home.
Employees working from home in the United Kingdom, Austria, Canada and the United States are putting in more hours than before, according to research conducted during the pandemic by NordVPN Teams, a New York-based company that provides virtual private networks (VPNs). ) to the companies.
Working from home has led to a 2.5-hour increase in the average workday in those countries, NordVPN Teams said in its report, released in February.
The UK and the Netherlands stand out, with employees "working until 8pm and logging off later than usual to end a long workday," he added.
"The covid-19 pandemic has significantly changed the way many people work," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.
Employees are torn between continuing to work remotely or returning to the office
“Teleworking has become the norm in many industries, often blurring the lines between home and work.
Also, many companies have been forced to downsize or shut down to save money, and people who are still on the payroll end up working longer hours.
“No job is worth the risk of stroke or heart disease.
Governments, employers and workers must work together to agree limits to protect the health of their workers, "he added.
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