Your work could literally be killing you.
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According to research, 86% of American workers wish they could get a new job. Big deal. Right? It’s not like their jobs are killing them.
But what if they were? Would more people be motivated to find new work?
Before weighing in, let’s first look at the facts.
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Ever hear of “karōshi?” —not the cereal (Kashi), but the Japanese phenomenon now spreading to many other countries.
What if you were headed straight for destruction and completely unaware?
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With a little digging, I discovered it means, “Death from overwork.” Strange? Perhaps, and yet occupational sudden death is more common then you’d think.
According to the International Labor Organization:
Karōshi is a Japanese word meaning death from overwork. This term has been used since the 1970s. In 1978 alone, 17 karōshi cases were reported.
It’s not a pure medical term, but a socio-medical term that refers to fatalities or associated work disability due to cardiovascular attacks (such as brain strokes, myocardial infarction or acute cardiac failure).
Certain factors contribute to this phenomenon such as: heavy workloads, long hours, lack of job control, routine and repetitive tasks, interpersonal conflicts, inadequate rewards, employment insecurity, and organizational problems. All these symptoms can create psychosocial hazards at work.
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Most of us wouldn’t intentionally put our family in harm’s way. But what if you didn’t know you were a candidate for karōshi? What if you were headed straight for destruction and completely unaware?
Thankfully, we have now identified six warning signs to help keep us on the right path.
Six warning signs
(Research from Dan Miller’s 48 Days to the Work you Love.)
- STRESS– 70% of American workers experience stress-related illnesses.
- BURNOUT– 34% think they will burn out on the job in the next two years.
- HEART ATTACKS– The Los Angeles Times reports that there is a 33 percent increase in heart attacks on Monday mornings.
- INJURY– Entrepreneur magazine adds that there is a 25 percent increase in work-related injuries on Mondays.
- DEATH– According to the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more people die at nine o’clock Monday morning than at any other time of day or any other day of the week.
- SUICIDE– Male suicides are highest on Sunday nights, with men realizing that their careers—and possibly their finances as well—are not where they want them.
Identifying these tendencies and then making course corrections could be the difference between life and death.
Some are still unconvinced. However, death comes in many forms, not just physically. Day jobs kill other ways too—emotionally, spiritually, and relationally.
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Swiss Psychologist Carl Jung’s research reveals why. In his studies, Jung discovered the most damaging thing in the life of a child is the “unlived life of the parent.”
The most powerful thing in the life of a child is a parent who’s fully alive.
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Imagine a child seeing his or her parent only half-alive for 18 years, day in and day out. Imagine being told to leave mom or dad alone so they can “veg” out after a long day at the office by sitting in front of the television or consuming their favorite substances.
Unpacking the word “veg” reveals the tragedy. “Veg” is simply short for “vegetable”—someone who’s brain dead. These actions communicate a powerful lesson to impressionable minds.
“Leave me alone so I can numb the pain I feel from my day job. I want to be brain dead for a few hours so I can go back at it again tomorrow.”
And yet this profound example is modeled within households across every city in America every single day.
Kids witness it and wonder:
- What hope do I have?
- Why should I stay in school?
- Do I really want to be like my parents?
But thankfully, the opposite is true, too. The most powerful thing in the life of a child is a parent who’s fully alive.
Unlike any other time in human history, more parents are changing their circumstances by changing themselves. They’re becoming entrepreneurs and leaving their day jobs.
Sure, the work is hard, but by saying, “Yes” to their passion, they’re also saying, “Yes” to their families. They’re kicking karōshi to the curb and cruising down the road to their dream jobs.
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Flickr/ Arun Venkatesan
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