Health at work: 10 ways your job is bad for your health

Why going to work is bad for you

When Monday morning roles around and we stumble out of our comfy beds, we all have that sneaking suspicion that somehow this isn’t good for us. It turns out that our suspicions are right; your job is bad for your health and in this article we tell you why those long hours, boring days and stressful tasks are bad for us.

Why your job is bad for your health: The emails

When emails became a part of our working lives we all celebrated. No more letter writing, no more communication problems and no more dodgy half-readable faxes. However, researchers have found that the birth of emails was not as good as we first thought. They found that people who check their work email regularly are in fact more stressed and less focused than those colleagues who have no access to their work email.

Why your job is bad for your health: Death by office chair 

Although we can’t all do yoga or bop around to the latest dance craze whilst typing up our paper work, sitting down at your desk could be killing you.  Studies have found that those adults who sat down in a chair for 11 hours each day had a 40 per cent increased risk of dying than other workers who only sat down for an average of four hours every day.

Why your job is bad for your health: Boredom makes you sick

If the very thought of work makes you want to yawn then pay attention: boredom can make you sick. The University of Lancashire found that workers who were continuously bored turned to coffee, smoking, alcohol and chocolate in an effort to try and perk themselves up. As well as picking up bad habits, other researchers found that workers who complained of chronic boredom were two and half times more likely to die before the expected age due to either a heart attack or a stroke.

Why your job is bad for your health: To work or not to work?

Although very few people would choose unemployment over paid work, it would seem that our mental health may benefit from not working opposed to working in a job we hate. The Australian National University discovered that people who felt like they had no control at work, or had low pay or little recognition for their efforts had poorer mental health than the participants who were unemployed but who later moved into a better job.

Why your job is bad for your health: Out of office?  

We all do it. We clock off, leave the office, fight our way through the thousand other commuters and once safely inside our front doors, BING – a new work email. The distinction between office hours and downtime has never been so blurred and this is having a negative effect on our health. Studies have found that those workers who check their emails at home after work have higher levels of stress and poorer concentration.

Why your job is bad for your health: Longer hours make you smoke

Did you know that, on average, Americans work 1,778 hours in total? Wherever you are in the world it is likely that you are facing an increase in the amount of time you spend at the office. Yet, these increased hours are having a major impact on our health and studies have found that these longer hours can lead to you smoking more, exercising less and seeing the doctor less frequently.   

Why your job is bad for your health: Night owl shifts  

We all know a shift worker and we all know that they have very odd sleep patterns. Although their night-owl ways seem harmless enough it would seem that this unnatural sleep cycle is causing shift workers serious problems. People who work shifts are more likely to have type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer, and women who work shifts are more likely to develop breast cancer than those women who snooze their way through the nights.

Why your job is bad for your health: The promotion

Lets crack open the champagne and blow up those balloons – a promotion is surely a reason to celebrate? Well, according to studies your promotion may not be quite as good as you originally thought. Although a heavier pay packet may have its perks, the stress and extra hours associated with climbing the career ladder can lead to a decrease in workers’ mental health by around 10 per cent.

Why your job is bad for your health: Desk jobs give you wrinkles

Many of us get that 3pm slump, but if you have a desk job do you ever actually slump down onto your desk? If propping your head up on your hands sounds all too familiar, be aware that touching your face constantly in this way can lead to dry skin and premature ageing. Work on your core muscles and your back to build the strength that should help you resist leaning on your hands at work.

Why your job is bad for your health: Anxiety

It’s a sad and shocking fact but one out of every nine workers in your workplace will develop some sort of anxiety disorder within their lifetime. A study in New Zealand found that one in seven women and one in 10 men who had high levels of pressure at work had difficulty with their mental health and half of the participants had some sort of anxiety disorder as a result of work.