Overwork killing Indians. How to prevent burnout and stay safe

Professionals in India are among the world's most overworked people. Some sectors are worse than others and people reveal why they find it difficult to switch off after work hours. Health experts tell us how to identify signs of burnout, prevent getting overworked and not getting killed.

In Short

• Burnout is common in India that's among top overworked countries in world
• Experts say socio-economic factors, strong hierarchy system are responsible
• Experts discuss how people can maintain work-life balance, prevent burnout

As professionals started working from home (WFH) during the pandemic, the lines between the bedroom and the boardroom blurred. Office hours, unnoticed, fused into family time, and fuelled the new epidemic -- burnout. The land of 'aaram haaram hai' (It's immoral to laze around) became a fertile ground for the hustle culture. Indian billionaires started advising people to work all day, and then, all night. There is plenty of data to show that overwork and work-life imbalance is killing Indians. But in a country where jobs are at a premium, there is no switching off for those who have managed to keep a job.

That was exemplified in the case of Anna Sebastian Periyal, a Chartered Accountant with Ernst & Young, one of the Big Four in the accounting world. Her mother said Anna lost her life as she was forced to overwork. She had been working 14-hour shifts, seven days of the week, for four months since she joined E&Y.

"Some sneer that Gen Z is simply unable to handle the work pressures that earlier generations took in stride. This attitude partly reflects the stigma still associated with mental-health issues, and leaves workers hesitant to seek help for fear of negative repercussions," writes diplomat-turned-politician Shashi Tharoor in Project Syndicate.

It isn't that overwork is an abstract concept. Several top international organisations have quantified it, and explained in what ways it is killing millions around the world.

How can professionals keep away from overworking regularly? What are the warning signs of workplace burnout? And, most importantly, how can people save themselves from being chronically overworked?

Professional health experts have answers to all these. But first, a look at why we call overworking an epidemic in India.

INDIANS AMONG THE MOST OVERWORKED IN WORLD

According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), India ranks as the second most overworked country in the world with 51% of those employed working for 49 hours or more.

The ILO recommends 48-hour work weeks with not more than eight hours a day.

The 'all work and no play' mantra is resulting in record-high burnout among Indians.

The symptoms of burnout are overthinking, palpitations, body aches, gastric symptoms, restlessness, Dr Sneha Sharma, a Delhi-based psychiatrist tells India Today Digital.

Some of the highest rates of burnout and these symptoms are seen in Indians.

"India respondents report the highest rates of burnout symptoms at 59%," according to a 2023 McKinsey Health Institute survey. At 62%, the highest workplace exhaustion was also reported in India.

A 2022 McKinsey report highlights how India tops the burnout chart.

Work and India have a colonial relationship. It is not that Indians don't enjoy leisure, but in a country that threw off the colonial yoke, tireless work is associated with nation-building.

The BJP has time and again highlighted how Prime Minister Narendra Modi works 24x7, seven days of the week.

Overworking is a cultural phenomenon too. In India, the emphasis is on serving others with a sense of self-sacrifice. This is diametrically opposite from countries, like the US, that focus on individualism.

OVERWORK CAN KILL PEOPLE, BUT IT IS GLORIFIED IN INDIA

Research shows the normalisation of overwork is killing people.

A study by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the ILO concludes "that working 55 or more hours per week is associated with an estimated 35% higher risk of a stroke and a 17% higher risk of dying from ischaemic heart disease, compared to working 35–40 hours a week".

In several sectors in India, professionals overwork themselves into the danger zone. Software engineers, junior lawyers and doctors, journalists, executives from marketing and sales, finance and banking, and Big Pharma are mostly overworked.

"Overwork can even kill people. The body can adapt to shorter periods of overwork, but this has to be an exception, or it can lead to burnout and chronic stress followed by diabetes, hypertension and even cardiac disease. It can really be deadly," Dr Sneha Sharma, a Delhi-based psychiatrist, tells India Today Digital.

INDIAN ORGANISATIONS, MENTORS PROMOTE OVERWORK

Last year, Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy stirred a hornets' nest by advising young people to work 70 hours a week to boost the Indian economy.

Many others also said an "unconventional" work week is needed in India to take advantage of the demographic dividend, and boost India's economy.

The death of Anna Sebastian Periyal shows the heavy price that individuals end up paying for the overwork culture. The Indian government, which doesn't have a clear policy for private sectors, has constituted a probe into the circumstances leading to her death.

What is needed are guidelines and policies. In a highly competitive world, it is highly unlikely that private organisations will take proactive steps, so the government will have to take the initiative. Repeated attempts by India Today Digital to seek comments from Deepika Kachhal, joint secretary in the labour ministry, on how the government planned to approach this important issue failed.

NO LAW TO REGULATE SHIFT HOURS OF WHITE-COLLAR WORKERS

The Factories Act of 1948 limits factory workers to 48 hours a week, ensuring mandatory rest days and providing overtime pay at double the regular rate for hours worked beyond nine in a day or 48 in a week. But this law applies only to factory workers and there are no provisions that protect professionals from burnout.

India Today Digital spoke to people from diverse fields and asked them if they felt overworked and the reasons for it. For obvious reasons, they requested that their identities and the companies they work for not be revealed.

"The ideal working hours which we are informed of during the time of joining remain just on paper. In the real world, we have to be active 24x7 and ready to respond to the requirements of our company," Ankit, a software engineer working for a US-based tech company from its Gurgaon office tells India Today Digital.

OFF-SHORE CLIENTS MAKE MATTERS WORSE FOR INDIANS

Not just IT companies, BFSI or banking, financial services, and insurance firms also see big burnout toll. That is because they serve offshore clients, coordinating with teams abroad.

"Shift hours are not usually followed. We work with teams overseas, but we start according to Indian time and then continue on to work on the on-shore team's time as well. This means you're working all the time," Rishika, who works for an MNC finance and accounting company in Mumbai, tells India Today Digital.

Akshat, who works with a pharmaceutical startup, said his company has a 'no work beyond 10 pm' policy, but that is never followed. "Something keeps coming up. It's always something urgent that the boss demands," said the data analyst.

THE YES-BOSS MENTALITY AND INDIAN RESPECT SYSTEM

The demands of the boss beyond shift timings, and the willingness to meet those are ingrained in a society like India's.

Aarti Kelshikar's book 'How India Works' introduces the Power Distance Index (PDI), highlighting India's high score of 77, indicating a strong preference for hierarchy and a high regard for rank and authority compared to a global average of 55.

In such societies, where there's a high regard for hierarchy, it becomes difficult for employees to turn down regular requests to work beyond office hours.

FEAR OF JOB LOSS MAKING PEOPLE OVERWORK

To add to a high regard for rank and authority are job insecurity, skyrocketing prices of food and housing, medical treatment, and the need to save for retirement in a country with zero social security benefits.

"A lot of my clients are from the Big Four and other corporate giants, and the burnout is more widespread than we would like to believe. Some of them have 18-hour work roles. They even get messages at 4 am, and have to respond to them. A lot of this also comes from job insecurity since the pandemic. Given the lay-offs, my clients are traumatised," says Mishra.

'IT IS DIFFICULT TO SWITCH OFF AFTER LONG HOURS OF WORK'

People who spoke to India Today Digital said they found it difficult to balance their personal and professional lives. They said it was difficult for them to switch off after work.

For people in the media industry, switching off is a big problem with the 24x7 news cycle.

According to a report by software company Muck Rack, 96% of journalists have a hard time switching off after work. At least four out of 10 journalists have left a job previously due to burnout.

THE RIGHT TO DISCONNECT FROM WORK

Organisations need to wake up to the fact that the hustle culture is getting people killed. Moreover, both employers and employees will have to understand the difference between a workaholic and a hard worker.

"Workaholics include the lawyer who always brings his briefcase on family picnics, while his wife carries the picnic basket," states Bryan Robinson in Chained to the Desk - A Guidebook for Workaholics.

Employees in India also have to learn to disconnect.

In August, Australia came up with a law called the 'Right to Disconnect', which ensures that people can refuse to stay in contact with their employers after work hours without any penalty. Similarly, in 2016, France passed a law that gave employees the right to disconnect after work.

HOW NOT TO OVER-WORK AND PREVENT BURNOUTS

With a society and government that wants people to work harder, experts say individuals need to take care of themselves. The first step is to be aware if someone is facing burnout.

1. BE AWARE OF BURNOUT SYMPTOMS

Prevention is the best cure. We need to look out for symptoms of burnout, suggests Dr Sneha Sharma, the Delhi-based psychiatrist.

"Overthinking, palpitations, body aches, gastric symptoms, restlessness and being irritable are some of the symptoms of overworking," she added.

2. DRAW CLEAR LINES AND SPEAK UP FOR YOURSELF

"Some people just don't communicate boundaries in personal or professional lives. They need to do that and make a timetable for themselves. Have a daily goal. I will be doing this efficiently today. Let your team know. Track your hours. Do more in less time in this way. The more you follow a clock, the more efficient you get," Ishangi, a Lucknow-based psychologist, tells India Today Digital.

3. DISCIPLINE AND EFFICIENCY ARE THE KEY

Having a disciplined and efficient work system

"People can get more done in less time if they are disciplined and efficient. It might also help in saving people from a burnout," she adds.

4. HAVE A SOCIAL LIFE

"Call your friends, make a plan with them, meet your loved ones. Prioritise your personal life. It will make you feel fulfilled," says Ishangi, the psychologist.

5. INVEST IN YOUR HOBBIES

"Try doing something which makes you feel fulfilled, some hobby, do something for yourself," she adds.

6. MAKE VISUAL MAPS ABOUT YOUR LIFE

"Make visual cards about what you need to do daily, weekly and monthly. Keep it on your desk and start and stop by the clock. The starting days will be harder, but you'll develop a system," Ishangi, the psychologist, tells India Today Digital.

7. TAKE REGULAR BREAKS. JUST VACATIONS WON'T HELP

"People need to take breaks consistently. A vacation cannot cure burnout. They also need to take care of their nutrition, exercise and their overall life," says Dr Sharma.

8. SEEK PROFESSIONAL HELP WHEN NEEDED

"Seek therapy, if needed. You can always get professional help, and you do not have to do it alone," said Ishangi, the psychologist.

9. COLLABORATE FOR A BETTER WORKPLACE

In the end, it is people that make organisations. People collectively need to ask for a better workspace.

"It would really help if there was good work management. And when people are not asked to work after they are home. We are not machines," says software engineer Ankit.

10. STOCKTAKING AND REALISATION HELP

Most importantly, people need to do regular stocktaking of their professional lives. They need to realise why they are working, their goals, and what their priorities are.

Most people will agree that their families are their priorities, but as they overwork, their families are affected the most. They also need to realise that their professional life is a marathon, and they can't run it like a 100-metre race. Regular stocktaking and realisations help in preventing overworking to a great extent.