For years, occupational psychologists in New York and around the world have studied workplace burnout. Most of these studies have concluded that burnout is an occupational health hazard. They also noted that to improve employee morale, health and retention, employers should take better steps to invest in their employee’s mental health.
According to Business Insider, snacking on unhealthy food, keeping up with tight deadlines, lots of sitting and the long hours can really drain the life out of workers. Approximately 86% of Americans have sedentary jobs and long hours of sitting is detrimental to a person’s health. People who sit for long hours are more susceptible to the following health problems:
- Cancer
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Heart disease
This remains true even for people who work out regularly. So, if spending regular time in the gym does not undo the damage, what will? Business Insider recommends changing position every eight minutes. Every hour, workers should also take a two-minute break to move around. Some workers have better success breaking it down into a minute of staying active every half hour.
According to NBC New York, for these and other reasons, the World Health Organization added burnout to its list of occupational phenomena. Note, however, that the WHO does not refer to this as a medical condition, but rather a work hazard. Even so, health services now accept calls related to workplace burnout.
Some professionals refer to workplace burnout as an epidemic. It has even been blamed for the high rates of suicide in the medical profession. In the fast-paced city of New York, where cost of living is high and it is fairly normal to work long hours, New Yorkers are perhaps especially at risk.
