An extended workday isn’t necessarily and agreed-upon amount of time. In fact, the definition is that the workday is longer than “normal.” Many employees who work extended workdays work 8-12 hour shifts, but they typically don’t work five days every week.
Even employees who work a “normal” work schedule don’t always work regular hours. In fact, employees who work a regular 40-hour work week usually end up working 47 hours every week on average. This is especially true for salaried employees who don’t necessarily log hours or get overtime payment.
In either instance—overtime or extended workdays—it’s not uncommon for employees to spend a vast majority of their days at the office. But what are these long hours doing to your employees’ health? And what do those health effects mean for your wellness program?
Sedentary Lifestyle
Hopefully you’ve heard of the sitting disease epidemic we’re facing in our country. A sedentary lifestyle (like that which comes with a typical office job), can damage a person’s health in so many ways. Our bodies need physical activity, and being confined to a desk chair doesn’t necessarily allow for that.
Working long hours without moving much can lead to very a variety of negative health effects including:
- Unhealthy weight gain
- Increased risk for heart disease
- Increased risk for diabetes
- The onset of metabolic syndrome
These negative health effects can spell disaster for your employee wellness program by creating a workforce too tired to participate in wellness activities and unenthused about events like health fairs or biometric screenings.
Increased Stress
High-stress situations are simply unhealthy. Stress can impact your employees not only mentally, but physically too! Employees who work long hours tend to have higher stress levels for a few different reasons.
First, jobs that require longer hours are typically more stressful jobs. The two go hand-in-hand.
Second, employees who work long hours don’t fully enjoy the benefits of a healthy work-life balance.
Finally, employees who work long hours may not get the solitude they need to unwind.
Increased stress—especially in the workplace—can lead to a higher risk for depression, decreased mental health and diminished productivity. All of these can be a disaster for participation and engagement with your corporate wellness program.
Poor Health Habits
Spending an abnormal amount of time at the office can also be an avenue by which to develop some bad health habits. People who work long hours are more susceptible to things like:
- Unhealthy snacking to stay awake or focused
- Bad posture from hunching over a computer
- Poor focus leading to workplace injuries
All of these things can really bring down your aggregate wellness results. They can also lead to a number of long-term health complications that your employees shouldn’t have to deal with.
While sedentary behavior, increased stress and bad health habits can all take a toll on your employee wellness program, the opposite is also true. Your wellness program can help to combat these things by encouraging and educating about healthy behaviors, advocating for healthy work hours, and providing an outlet to relieve stress and be physically active.
Long workdays and workweeks aren’t necessarily uncommon. Just because everyone’s doing it, though, doesn’t mean it’s good for you. Take the time to address work schedules that might be sabotaging your employees’ health.
Do you promote healthy hours where you work? Tell us how in the comments below!
