We wake up, reach for the phone, check emails, even before the first cup of tea. Then we start again, messages, calls, deadlines. Weekends don’t feel like weekends, nights don’t feel like rest.
This isn’t just hard work; it’s a danger.
Long hours are more than exhausting; they’re deadly. Studies by the World Health Organisation and the International Labour Organisation have shown that working 55 hours or more per week raises the risk of stroke by 35 per cent and ischaemic heart disease by 17 per cent. Hundreds of thousands die every year from overwork.
Over half of employees worldwide work more than 49 hours per week, and some push past 70. In offices and hospitals, burnout has become routine. People call it dedication, experts call it dangerous.
It’s not just the heart that suffers. MRI-based studies on healthcare workers reveal that those working 52 or more hours a week have structural changes in parts of the brain responsible for executive functions, planning, decision-making, problem-solving, and emotional regulation.
Areas such as the middle and superior frontal gyri, and the insula show changes, which researchers describe as neuroadaptive responses.
Adaptation is not always benign; over time, it may reduce emotional resilience and increase vulnerability to burnout.
Burnout is not an abstract concept. In the U.S., psychologists define it as a triad: emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced professional efficacy.
Chronic overwork leaves people exhausted, irritable, and detached. In India, the picture is even starker. Corporate culture glorifies being “always on.” Employees are expected to respond after hours, and late nights are praised.
Surveys reveal that nine out of ten Indian employees are contacted outside work hours, and many feel that failing to respond could harm their career.
In the tech sector, more than 80 per cent of professionals report feeling burned out, while over 50 per cent report physical symptoms, including headaches, acidity, and sleep disruption caused by long work hours.
Healthcare workers also report similarly alarming statistics, with over 80 per cent of doctors in tertiary hospitals experiencing mental exhaustion due to 60-plus-hour work weeks, and some exceeding 80 hours early in their careers.
Counselling psychologist Bhakti Joshi notes that perfectionism, constant evaluation, and the pressure to be “error-free” in workplaces push many professionals into what she calls a “red zone” of mental health. Long hours aren’t proof of commitment; they’re a slow erosion of well-being.
Experts at conferences across India have repeatedly stressed that burnout creeps in slowly through skipped breaks, guilt-free overtime, and cultural glorification of hustle. Psychological safety is essential; employees must feel it is acceptable to pause, rest, or say no.
The toll of overwork extends beyond health. Productivity drops, creativity fades, and mistakes accumulate.
Chronic stress leads to hormonal imbalances, including elevated cortisol and disrupted sleep cycles, impairing both cognitive and emotional performance.
Economically, the global burden of disease due to long working hours accounts for millions of disability-adjusted life years, reflecting lost productivity, increased healthcare costs, and the erosion of human potential.
Why do we do it? Culture, expectation, and the myth that staying late is dedication.
In India’s tech industry, long workdays, weekend emails, and relentless deadlines have become routine. In offices worldwide, busyness is still considered a badge of honour.
Even policy and labour regulations, where they exist, are often weakly enforced, and overwork is romanticised by leadership, creating a silent epidemic of stress and exhaustion.
Yet experts say there are ways to mitigate the crisis. Disconnecting from work outside office hours is critical. Rest should not be a luxury; it is an essential part of maintaining health and productivity.
Employees must value outcomes over hours worked, and companies must foster cultures that reward quality, not mere presence. Governments and labour regulators also have a role to play by enforcing limits on mandatory overtime and prioritising mental well-being.
Recognising the early signs of burnout is vital. Emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and a sense of diminished effectiveness are not trivial complaints; they are warnings.
Rest is preventive medicine, not indulgence. Mental health education and awareness in workplaces can empower employees to protect themselves before symptoms spiral out of control.
The crisis is not confined to corporate offices. It touches healthcare, IT, manufacturing, and education.
Studies show that even when workers survive the physical and mental strain, relationships, personal fulfilment, and life satisfaction often suffer.
The hours devoted to work are hours taken from family, friends, hobbies, and rest.
The human cost of overwork is not just personal, it’s systemic. When millions are exhausted, productivity declines. Innovation slows. Economic growth suffers. Public health is burdened. Burnout is no longer a private struggle; it is a social and economic challenge.
Yet, the choice remains in our hands. Balance isn’t weakness; it is survival, strength, and wisdom.
It may be the bravest act to stop, to say no, to rest, to recognise that life is too precious to burn away chasing endless hours.
Long hours are not a virtue. Overwork is not commitment. It’s a crisis, and the warning signs are clear. If we continue down this path, the world will keep moving, but we may not.
The path forward requires courage. Employees must reclaim boundaries. Leaders must rethink work culture.
Societies must value human life over perpetual labour. Only then can we turn the tide of burnout and rebuild lives that are not merely measured by hours logged, but by health, happiness, and fulfilment.
Because in the end, survival is not about the work you do, it is about the life you live.