Slaves To The Grind

Workaholic tendencies are a serious health risk, especially for women.

- Nicky Pellegrino

Remember the days when we finished work, went home and forgot all about it until the next morning? In the modern era, the office is always in our pockets and checking emails or taking calls after hours is the norm. It’s little wonder that New Zealanders report feeling stressed and anxious as they struggle with large workloads and long hours. The “Wellness in the Workplace Survey”, run by Southern Cross and Business NZ last year, showed 31.2% of workers felt stress levels had risen in the previous two years.

There is plenty of science to suggest that working too hard is bad for your health. The latest comes from Canadian researchers who tracked 7000 workers for 12 years and concluded that women who put in longer hours have a greater chance of developing type 2 diabetes.

“We observed a 63% increased risk of developing diabetes among women working 45 hours or more a week, compared with women working between 35 and 40 hours a week,” says lead researcher Mahée Gilbert-Ouimet of the University of Toronto.