Those affected work long hours and can only take time off with a guilty conscience
What: Getty Images/Luis Alvarez
Those who are addicted to work have more health problems but go to the doctor less often than other workers. This applies to ten percent of the people in Germany. Their risk of burnout and depressive moods is also increased.
Rand a tenth of those in employment in Germany are addicted to work, according to a study. Those who work in this way have more health problems, but go to the doctor less often, said the Hans Böckler Foundation, which is close to the trade union, when the study was published in Düsseldorf on Tuesday. Not only did those affected work very long hours, quickly and on different tasks at the same time, they also felt guilty about taking time off and felt unable to switch off and relax.
According to the foundation, 28 percent of the addicted workers stated that their general state of health was “less good” or even “poor”. Only 14 percent of the leisurely workers, the majority of those in employment, said so. The self-assessment of those who work excessively but not compulsively is similar. All kinds of health problems are more common among addicted workers, the study said. This applies in particular to psychosomatic complaints such as sleep disorders and depression, but also to muscle and skeletal complaints such as back pain.
The researchers attested a compulsive relationship to the job to those in employment who agreed with statements such as “It is important for me to work hard even if I do not enjoy what I do”, “It is difficult for me to relax when I am not work” or “I have a bad conscience when I take time off”.
According to the Böckler Foundation, those who work excessively and compulsively go to the doctor less often. Around 30 percent of this group have more than six untreated complaints, among the relaxed workers it is only 15 percent. 45 percent of the addicted workers did not call in sick on a single day in the year before the survey, compared to 36 percent of those who were “calm”. The authors of the study conclude that the addicted workers have an increased risk of burnout and depressive moods.
According to the information, the current study was carried out by researchers from the Federal Institute for Vocational Training (BIBB) in Bonn and the Technical University of Braunschweig for the Böckler Foundation. It is based on data from the BIBB and the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, for which a good 8,000 employees were surveyed about work behavior and well-being in 2017 and 2018.