Exposing a deified enemy

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter” – Martin Luther King

“According to a 2021 study by the World Health Organization, globally approximately seven hundred and fifty thousand people die every year as a result of ischemic heart disease and stroke due to overwork (which is defined as working beyond 55 hours every week). Journalist Christine Ro expressed it differently for the message to sink home: “More people are dying from overwork than from malaria.” Read that again.

While it is fair enough to acknowledge that some people work extra hours in order to settle debts and support increased familial responsibilities, many don’t do it on volition. They found themselves in an industry with a culture that expects employees to work for long hours and demands constant availability as if the job is the lone axle on which one’s existence rotates.

It is further exacerbated by a repulsive attitude harbored by employers and management staff in diverse workplaces. As Sunny Bindra wrote in one of his articles, “Instead of seeing humans as beings, they have only seen them as resources: to be deployed, exploited, depleted, and ultimately discarded.” Notably, this diabolical trend has gained a foothold over decades. It is not only pervasive in nature but also invasive in measure. It stifles creativity and is a catalyst to burnout, “a phenomenon characterized by feelings of exhaustion and reduced professional efficacy that leaves one feeling dehumanized and questioning why they even took the job in the first place.”

But you may pause and think: Shouldn’t people just remain silent and simply express gratitude for having paying jobs regardless of prevalent conditions since others languish for lack thereof? And that’s another fallacy that ought to be corrected. Yes, getting employed is not a right but neither is it a favor. One gets a “fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.’’ Therefore, receiving a paycheck shouldn’t make an employee feel indebted to anything nor should it be a leeway for workplace mistreatment and rights infringement.

My advice is clustered in two: If you are a job seeker, kindly choose to be more intentional during your job hunt. Understand the industry. Find insiders, if possible, who can give you the unadulterated truth. Have the courage to look beyond paychecks no matter how lucrative. Pray for discernment especially when bombarded with pleasant pitches by company executives which are usually framed to make you believe that the prospective employer cares about your work-life balance, educational and career progression.

For those trapped in this overwork labyrinth, my heart goes out to you. Please look for social support i.e. a colleague in the same organization or industry, a trustworthy person with whom you can perfectly relate your miseries. Create time to unwind, rant, and honestly answer the question, “How are you?” Indeed, such sessions are of unequaled therapeutic import. But if you feel completely overwhelmed and unable to move on, have the courage to walk away, and don’t forget to seek professional advice with respect to your mental health. You matter and you deserve better!

Cheers, good people!!