Workload is ruining our health
Would you put yourself in isolation- no friends, family, or technology, for a health break?
In a survey I conducted, burnout was highly associated with workload. Seventy-seven percent of respondents reported having experienced burnout in their current role, 30 percent describing it as severe, 23 percent as moderate, and 23 percent as mild. Only 7 percent reported “No, not at all,” while 17 percent reported “No, but I've come close”. The high incidence of burnout (77 percent) is strongly correlated with the significant increase in workload reported by respondents. A combined 67 percent indicated either a “somewhat increased” or “significantly increased” workload over the past two years (2023-2025). More hours, more tasks, and higher pressure without management addressing workload, resource allocation, and setting realistic expectations.
Companies often respond instead by pushing for individual resilience or providing onsite stress management programs, such as Employee Assistance Programs (EAP), yoga, or intermittent onsite massage therapy.
Although younger generations are often vilified as being lazy or entitled, we need to consider that the majority of survey respondents indicating burnout are in Management and Leadership roles (47 percent) or other senior-level roles (37 percent). Mid-level or lower accounted for only 13 percent of respondents and the Executive level for just 10 percent. Senior roles include responsibilities for managing teams and strategic decision-making, but also typically come with greater autonomy and greater control over one’s work. The pervasive burnout rate among these senior professionals (more than 83 percent combined) implies that factors beyond lack of control, such as excessive workload, constant connectivity, and organizational instability, are driving burnout. If burnout is a pervasive issue affecting all levels of the workforce, it may just be that younger workers are seeing the effects on the staff that manage them and have decided they do not want to live that way.
A combined 67 percent of respondents reported an increased workload over the past two years. Only 16 percent experienced a decrease. This data directly supports the qualitative observations about increased demands and a lack of work-life balance, reinforcing the link to burnout.
Health is directly affected by the number of hours worked. World Health Organization (WHO) and International Labour Organization (ILO) in 2016, “reported that long working hours accounted for 745,000 stroke- and ischemic heart disease-related deaths worldwide. In addition to stroke, cardiovascular disease, and depression, workplace accidents are associated with long working hours.”
Technology, while offering flexibility, often facilitates this increased demand for productivity and constant connectivity. As indicated in the survey, technology contributes to “Higher productivity demands,” “More multitasking required,” and “Longer hours expected”. This creates a dynamic where technology, intended for efficiency, paradoxically contributes to overload. The increased workload is therefore not simply a volume issue but is exacerbated by the tools and expectations of the digital age, creating a self-reinforcing cycle of demand and pressure.
Inside Me is a mock correctional facility in South Korea that is popular among stressed students and workers. The facility offers 24 and 48-hour stays to individuals who want to get away from the demands of their daily life. It opened over 10 years ago and has had more than 2,000 visitors. One woman interviewed said her husband “would rather go into solitary confinement for a week to take a rest and feel better.” Visitors spend two days at the facility, and are locked in a cell for 20 hours at a time without their technology.
South Koreans worked on average 2,024 hours in 2017, according to a survey from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Comparatively, Americans worked an average of 1,780 hours a year. South Korea has limited working hours, government-mandated, to 52 hours per week, down from 68 hours.
In the United States, no such federal limit exists.