Is Working Overtime Killing You Too?
Author: Nick
Category: Money
Topics: health, time, work
Japan—that island super-nation that gave us such innovations as karaoke, Super Nintendo, and Ice Cucumber Pepsi—has a bit of a problem. You see, the people in Japan just work too damned hard. Whereas the typical American 40-hour work week consists of 20 hours of coffee breaks, 10 hours of unproductive meetings, 7 hours of sexually harassing your gorgeous secretary, and 3 hours of actual work, the Japanese work week averages 60-70 grueling hours. What happened was, a while back, Japan realized that the only way it was going to overtake the United States (a country with more than twice its population) in areas like technology, education, and pornography was to work roughly 17 times harder. And that’s just what they did then and continue to do to this very day.
Sadly for Japanese workers, working yourself to death has the unfortunate side effect of sometimes actually killing you as one unlucky engineer at Toyota found out recently. The occurrence of overtiming oneself into an early grave has become such a frequent happening in Japan in the last half-century that they’ve even invented a word to describe the phenomenon: karōshi which, roughly translated, means “happy fun hard-working death time.” There have been dozens of well-publicized karōshi deaths in Japan since the phrase was first coined around 1970, though many other cases likely go unreported as companies pay surviving family members quiet settlements. The typical karōshi death is a direct result of a heart attack or stroke caused by sheer overwork.
While 80-hour work weeks aren’t as common on this side of the Pacific, there are nonetheless plenty of Americans who are prime candidates for exiting this life karōshi style. You might know a few people like this yourself. Heck, you might even be someone like this—toiling thanklessly for the good of your employer with little regard for your own self-preservation. If that sounds like you, then there are some steps you might want to start taking right away to help ensure you don’t drop dead from overwork.
- Um, stop working so much, eh? If you don’t realize this is the best option, then you’re probably too far down the karōshi path to turn back now. Don’t worry, I’m sure your boss will take good care of your spouse after you’re gone, if you know what I mean.
- Get paid more. Believe it or not, knowing that you’re fairly compensated for your job can make it less stressful. If you’ve got plenty of money coming into the household, you won’t have as much to worry about outside of work, which means you’ll be able to pull off a few 80-hour work weeks here and there without dissolving yourself into a puddle of overworked goo.
- Get paid overtime. If you already get paid well for your first 40 hours, but you’re working 70 hours a week, then you’re giving away 30 hours of your time for free. Ask your company for overtime pay or work somewhere else that already offers it. You’ll still be working as hard, but you’ll know in the back of your mind that there’s a small reward for your efforts.
- Use your vacation time. Another good sign that you’re on the karōshi death spiral is if you have a habit of never using vacation and/or letting vacation time expire without using it. There are very few workplaces that give “too much” vacation time, so you should be using most or all of whatever you’re given.
- Change careers. Maybe your current job is too conducive to overwork. You might want to start looking for a job somewhere more relaxed. And if your line of work is such that you’ll be overworked no matter who your employer is, then it may be time to completely change careers to sometime a little less suicidal.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go show those Japanese that us American engineers won’t take their 80-hour work weeks lying down! Oh no no no, I’ll be sitting upright in my comfy chair, sipping my coffee… maybe take a long lunch, leave a bit early… take the rest of the week off…
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114 Responses »
1.
Chris
July 22nd, 2008 at 8:42 am
I didn’t know you’re an engineer too Nick. I’m busy reading this while at work…screw 60 hour work weeks…40 is too much as it is.
2.
Jeff
July 22nd, 2008 at 8:55 am
I would have to get paid a lot more than I am now for me to be motivated enough to work an 80 hours work week. Unless it meant that I could work one week and then take the next one off.
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Kyle
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:38 am
40 hours is for suckers. I never work more than 35.
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July 22nd, 2008 at 1:57 pm
I usually don’t kill myself at my actual job, but it is all the side projects I have going that really tire me out.
If I could get by with only working 4 days a week and spend 1 full day a week on side work, I think it would work better.
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rocketc
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:21 am
I work way too much.
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July 24th, 2008 at 10:07 am
I work from home so dont really keep track of the hours I work, today it is sunny business is slow and I am off to the beach. good work with the Ninjas.
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SingleProfessional
July 24th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
Anything over 40 hours a week isn’t worth the stress unless you love your job or need the over time pay. I admire the people who work 50-60+ weeks, but I know I’d have a hard time with it. I have yet to meet a job that fulfills me on any level other than paying the bills.
8.
Obbop
August 1st, 2008 at 9:50 pm
“…work roughly 17 times harder. ”
Perhaps working smarter is the better idea.
Generally, work hard and you are creating wealth for others. Work smart and create wealth for yourself.
I often write of my despisement of America’s elite class. I also lambast the immense herd of Amrican sheep.
I have my reasons for this, one being that so many Americans garner their wealth at their specialized tasks while standing on the backs of the working-poor.
I worked amongst the migrant workers in the agricultural fields, harvesting the crops feeding the nation. Under a broiling sun I saw children as young as eight and grandmas and grandpas alongside.
The migrants did what they could among themselves to place the young and old in the less labor-intensive acts while those in the middle handled the most physical tasks.
Yep, I was among many Americans doing the jobs Americans will supposedly not do.
Those folks working so hard to feed YOU. Are you aware they receive NO overtime pay for their labor until they have worked over 60 hours in one week? Those feeding you also receive no health insurance or pension benefits other than the Social Security the elite class mostly despises.
Let Rush Limbaugh, Hollywood, politicians, CEOs, entertainment and sports stars stop working and society will chug along just fine.
Let the working-poor stop working and anarchy will eventually ensue.
America’s cities have a mere three or so weeks of foodstuffs stockpiled in warehouses. As the stockpiles draw down and the grocery store shelves empty chaos will eventually occur.
Some day, I hope, my people, America’s underclass, the working-poor spat upon for so long, will tire of being stood upon, spat upon, shoved aside.
A general strike as the working-poor hunker down and await for society to explode/implode. Revenge will be sweet.
Sadly, the elite class has the wealth and power to escape what lower class can not.
Oh well, hurt the middle classes badly enough and maybe they will hunt down the elites and mete out justice.
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August 5th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
I guess the Japanese don’t mind working 60-70 hours a week. It’s in their culture and their minds are programmed to work like that. I know some Asian countries who are competitive like Japan so they work hard longer than usual. But don’t get me wrong, I am not for 60 hours a week of work too. Our bodies and minds deserve to rest too.
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August 20th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
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August 23rd, 2008 at 2:45 pm
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Mary Ann
April 13th, 2009 at 5:12 pm
well..I don’t kill myself at my actual job. Whether your working on an office or at home, as long you enjoy your work. Then there is going to be no problem.
Just don’t forget to spend your weekend wisely
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June 3rd, 2009 at 2:27 am
You’ve depressed me enough to take a vacation.
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June 7th, 2009 at 7:55 am
Working overtime is always harfull for your health!
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June 7th, 2009 at 7:57 am
Sure! The Japanese just do not realise to what consequences overwork may lead!
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June 7th, 2009 at 7:59 am
I do not see a problem here and the Japanese people are doing the right thing.
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June 26th, 2009 at 2:48 am
If you’ve got plenty of money coming into the household, you won’t have as much to worry about outside of work, which means you’ll be able to pull off a few 80-hour work weeks here and there without dissolving yourself into a puddle of overworked goo.
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July 14th, 2009 at 5:12 pm
Geez, I had no idea they worked so hard in Japan. No wonder their cars, electronics and technology are better.
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July 24th, 2010 at 4:14 am
Unless it meant that I could work one week and then take the next one off.I know some Asian countries who are competitive like Japan so they work hard longer than usual.
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July 26th, 2010 at 4:30 am
One week of overtime work with a moderate workload produced no main effects on physiological stress markers. Nevertheless, sleep was negatively affected, with shorter sleeps during overtime work and greater problems with fatigue and sleepiness.
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August 14th, 2010 at 1:24 am
Overtime can cause stress to the worker which is not good for health. I like your post on this topic. Today everyone runs behind the money and don’t think about their health.
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September 28th, 2010 at 5:51 pm
Funny! Hey, I always use my vacation time. I work hard so I deserve a vacation!
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Well we can be all work and no play we must reward ourselves from time to time I am single father and I have 2 sons and I have become a workaholic I work 18-20 hrs a day but I see to it that I reward myself for all the hard work I have done
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July 28th, 2011 at 8:52 pm
Clearly you have never worked for a Japanese company. I formerly managed quality control for several Japanese companies in America. You’re right about the long hours. However, just because they’re all there until 7:30-8PM doesn’t mean they’re all working. In my experience, at the end of the day, one by one the Japanese engineers I worked with would finish their work, then pull out their newspapers, etc, and wait around until the last Japanese engineer finished his work. So yes, they were all there late, but they weren’t all working. This was in 1990-1996.
Also, the generation you’re describing having worked REALLY hard and long are the fathers of those I just described. They truly busted their tails. Japan climbed to the top of the heap. Then Japan got complacent, their products, and their labor, became overpriced, and they came up with a phrase called “san k”, or “three k’s: Kiken, kitsui, kitanai” meaning (not sure of the order) too dirty, too difficult, too dangerous. That was the generation I worked with. And that was 20 years ago.
But they’re excellent at maintaining the “appearance” that they’re very busy.
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