Work is necessary, there is no doubt about that. In addition to helping us survive, it is an element that organizes our time and gives us a professional label that defines us.
However, if time is limited and adequate working conditions are offered, our health will be harmed in the long term. Both physically and mentally, working more than we should harms us, making us unhappier and less productive.
This is why it is so important to raise awareness about the consequences of work overload which we will see below in addition to what can be done to avoid such a phenomenon.
Main consequences of work overload on worker health
Work is a very important aspect of our lives, not only because of its economic reward.
Employment is something that occupies a good part of our daily lives, giving us a more or less stable schedule, which organizes our lives and gives us a certain security of order and balance. However, on many occasions we end up working more than necessary, sacrificing other aspects of our lives and acquiring all kinds of problems on an emotional, psychological and physical level.
Both workers and their superiors try, either by their own desire or by legal obligation, to respect the maximum of 8 hours of work, 8 hours of leisure and 8 hours of sleep, but this, in practice, turns out to be very difficult to comply with. . There are many jobs that end up putting more workload on their workers than was agreed upon causing dissatisfaction among its employees.
Working more than you want, in the long run, your productivity will be reduced. If we are investing all our resources for a long time, both physical and cognitive, it is to be expected that sooner or later we will end up working worse than we usually do under normal conditions. This adds even more tension to the worker, who fears for his job and the continuity of his income.
Work overload is something that everyone experiences differently There are those who work better under pressure, managing well the fact that their boss has given them more work than normal. Others, however, feel overwhelmed more quickly, working worse.
Be that as it may, it is understood as work overload the consequence of assigning additional functions to the worker in an excessive, disproportionate and constant manner The worker does not feel stimulated, doing poorer quality work and seeing his health affected.
Main consequences
Below we will see the main consequences of work overload.
1. Anxiety
If the job exhausts and exhausts the worker, it is not surprising that, in the long run, he himself ends up suffering from anxiety problems
Working more than necessary, having to work overtime, meeting delivery deadlines or combining daily tasks with those that appear at the last minute generate stress, which makes the body prepare for tense situations and affects both the body and the body. physical and mental health.
People who suffer from anxiety constantly They are more vulnerable to problems such as diabetes, obesity, heart and digestive problems They tend to eat more, smoke or engage in more risky and dysfunctional behaviors.
2. Depression
Depression is one of the most serious consequences of work overload, along with anxiety. Being depressed does not necessarily mean constantly crying or give the feeling of being sad. It also implies irritability, apathy and great demotivation.
Excess work frustrates us, it makes us feel that we could be dedicating ourselves to something we liked. But, when we get home, we don’t feel like spending time doing what we like, such as activities that are beneficial to our health such as sports, reading, walking, spending time with our loved ones or relaxing.
This makes us even more frustrated, entering a continuous state of irritability and dissatisfaction, worsening the feelings of deep sadness when seeing how our job is consuming us.
3. Burnout syndrome
Related to stress and depression we have the case of the famous Burnout syndrome, a problem that occurs due to burning out due to work. This syndrome has been recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and involves problems on an emotional, psychological and physical level
An important part of workers suffer from this health condition, living in a constant state of stress and anxiety along with depressive symptoms. Its prevalence in the population is increasing, which is why health organizations and companies are increasingly involved in avoiding it in the workplace.
It is quite common for those people who have to work more than necessary to stay up until the wee hours of the morning working. This alters circadian cycles, causing serious sleep problems in the long run
Even when he can sleep, the worker has problems falling asleep. He can’t because, while in bed, he thinks about everything he has left for the next day, or he wonders if his boss is going to give him more work by surprise.
This means that, in addition to taking time to sleep, your sleep is not repaired and, as a consequence, the next day you are even more exhausted, unable to perform adequately at work.
5. Muscle pain
While every job is different, In all of them our musculoskeletal system suffers We are more prone to muscle pain and injuries.
In those professions where various physical efforts have to be made, if you spend too much time doing them the joints end up suffering, in addition to running the risk of wearing out the cartilage and causing injuries, such as low back pain, strains and sprains.
In the case of office jobs, where it is common to spend hours sitting in front of a computer, it is quite common to feel pain in the back In fact, sitting for more than 20 minutes in the same position, especially with your back curved, can cause muscle damage.
6. Deterioration of social relationships
There is no doubt that working more than we should means seeing our friends and family less The more time we spend at work, the less we can dedicate to our loved ones, causing relationships to cool.
But it is not only relationships that deteriorate because of this. They are also affected because, when we get home, we do not feel like talking to our family or meeting our friends. We prefer to stay in bed or rest in any other way where we don’t have to interact with other people.
7. Bad work dynamics
In addition to all these health consequences, it is expected that in the office, due to the great pressure on its workers, they will begin to have relational problems between them
Irritability, depression, anxiety and frustration will make workers not want to see themselves in painting, since they associate their presence with all kinds of negative feelings. All of this will cause simple misunderstandings to turn into all kinds of conflicts which will decrease productivity in the company.
How to avoid it?
To avoid work overload and its negative consequences, the company and its workers must take measures so that work does not become something that ends up consuming them. In addition to trying to respect the schedules stipulated in the contracts, You should try to foster a good business culture especially related to organization and order, in order to prevent workers from leaving work for later that they will have to do overtime.
The company, if it has seen that work overload has occurred, must identify the causes for this phenomenon to occur. Once identified, you must mobilize resources to ensure that it does not occur again, or design protocols to manage its appearance and avoid its harmful effects, both on the collective productivity of the organization and on the health of workers.
One of the problems of companies that contributes to work overload is set delivery deadlines for extensive and important long-term work , making their workers confident, leave it for last and, when they see that the delivery date is approaching, they work on it for hours, at the cost of their health. A very good way to avoid this phenomenon is to break down tasks into small objectives, more achievable in the short term and that can be easily accomplished on a daily basis.
A fundamental tool in every company should be teamwork , especially in its intention to prevent work overload from occurring. Instead of putting all the weight on one person, putting it on a team of several workers prevents them from getting so burned and they coordinate better. Basically, it consists of delegating functions, making the responsibility fall on several people instead of all on one, making the achievement of goals less overwhelming.
