Deepika Padukone on 8 hours of work: ‘We mistake burnout for commitment’; but why is Bollywood normalising overworking?

Deepika Padukone who has been very vocal about unorganised work hours; here is a look at how burnout can be dangerous for our health. According to reports, consistently too much work, tight deadlines, and unrealistic expectations at work are the main causes of burnout. Reports also say lack of recognition, reward, unclear expectation, toxic work culture and poor work-life balance are the main cause of burnout.

In a chat with Harper’s Bazaar, Deepika Padukone rightly said, “We’ve normalised overworking. We mistake burnout for commitment. Eight hours of work a day is enough for the human body and mind. Only when you’re healthy can you give your best. Bringing a burnt-out person back into the system helps no one.” Deepika said that at her office, they follow a strict 5-day and 8-hour work policy with sufficient maternity and paternity breaks. “In my own office, we work eight hours a day, Monday to Friday. We have maternity and paternity policies. We should normalise bringing children to work.

How burnout happens?

Burnout happens when you work harder and harder, becoming frantic in your pursuit of success. If you experience this, you may be willing to risk your health and personal life to feel successful. The Harvard Business Review says, you know you are suffering from burnout when you are perpetually exhausted, annoyed, and feeling unaccomplished and unappreciated.

How to address it?

The Harvard Business Review further says to address the stress of your workload, assess how well you’re doing in these key areas: planning your workload, prioritizing your work, delegating tasks, saying no, and letting go of perfectionism. If you haven’t been doing one or more of these things, try to make progress in these time management skill areas and then see how you feel. For many individuals, especially those who have a bent toward people pleasing, some proactive effort on reducing their workload can significantly reduce feelings of burnout and provide space to rest.

How burnout can be dangerous for health?

Not being rewarded for the hard work that you put in can be frustrating. Burnout is dangerous because it leads to severe mental and physical health issues like chronic fatigue, anxiety, depression, heart problems, weakened immunity, and sleep disorders, stemming from prolonged workplace stress.

Overworking can affect both physical and mental health. Overworking is causing serious problems for businesses all over the globe. And did you know that overworking can increase your chances of stroke? Well it does.

In fact, according to ‘PassportHealth’death due to burnout is so prevalent in Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and China that the Huffington Post says they have specific words meaning “death due to overwork”: “karoshi”, “gwarosa” and “guolaosi”.

Is burnout the main cause of stroke

The World Health Organisation also says, long working hours increasing deaths from heart disease and stroke. The study concluded that working 55 or more hours per week is associated with an estimated 35% higher risk of a stroke and a 17 percent higher risk of dying from ischemic heart disease, compared to working 35-40 hours a week. Further, the number of people working long hours is increasing, and currently stands at 9 percent of the total population globally. This trend puts even more people at risk of work-related disability and early death.