Work Overload And Its Consequences
Overwork at work is very common these days because many people spend a lot of time working. They do that to such an extent that they could possibly work all day every day.
People leave home very early to go to work and come back very late, which means they spend most of their days in the workplace.
How can too much work negatively affect your life in this regard? If you spend a lot of time at work, you won’t be able to spend time on other parts of your life.
For example, overloading at work obviously means that you have less time for your personal needs and interactions with your family and friends. These are just some of the possible negative effects of working too much.
Overwork at work reduces quality of life
Ana Alcayaga, Director of Engineering in Risk Prevention and Environment at the USS, says overload is a risk that lowers quality of life and productivity.
This statement is supported by the most recent figures from the Spanish Work Safety and Health National System (Sistema Nacional de Información de Seguridad y Salud en el Trabajo) . This study (Spanish link) also points to the physical and psychological risks of long and excessive working hours.
In short, overwork at work poses many health risks and reduces the quality of life.
This is because spending most of your time working threatens your physical and psychological well-being, even if you really love what you do. In fact, productivity drops as the hours go by. So if you spend a lot of time working, your mind becomes saturated and you achieve less.
Work overload and anxiety
A strenuous work day is a risk factor for anxiety. In other words, the stress that comes from work overload leads to an excessive secretion of certain hormones, such as cortisol (known as the stress hormone). This hormone prepares you for certain situations, so it is not harmful in small doses.
However, when you secrete excess cortisol as a result of constant stress and worry, the result of an overload that persists over time can cause a disturbing sense of unease. It would manifest as a feeling of chest pressure, stomach pain and tachycardia.
Insomnia
It is not uncommon for people who work excessively to develop sleeping problems, which sometimes become chronic insomnia. Your workload is so great that your mind is unable to disconnect before bedtime. Because of this, you will not be able to rest, which means that the next day will be even more tiring, both mentally and physically.
Deterioration of social relationships
An overload of work also keeps you away from your loved ones. You may hardly see your partner, friends, children and family anymore. In a way, you become the beloved who is always absent and others expect nothing more from you than money.
Work overload and burnout syndrome
Burnout syndrome is now officially recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO). This organization considers it a condition that affects people on an emotional and psychological level. In addition, it affects many employees because they live in a constant state of stress and anxiety.
More and more experts from different sectors of work suffer from this syndrome. According to data from a recent study, a high percentage of doctors say they suffer from burnout. There is a high percentage of people with burnout in the medical sector. Also in many other professions, the number of people with this problem is increasing every day.
So keep in mind that you need to limit the time you spend on your work. Otherwise, the quality of life will deteriorate. It is therefore important to make people aware of the consequences of overload at work and to try to prevent it. It is also important to realize that mental and physical well-being is important for everyone.
