Can working too much overtime kill you?
You’ve heard it, and I’ve heard it.
How many times has someone shuffled in the door late at night, slumped on the couch and sighed to you, “Ugh, this job is gonna kill me”?
It happens, and you laugh. And they laugh. Only, then something like this happens, and suddenly everyone’s not so amused anymore.
Last week, the 2007 passing of a McDonald’s Japan store manager was ruled a case of “karoshi” – literally, death by overwork.
The woman, 41, died from a brain haemorrhage after reportedly putting in more than 80 hours of overtime in each of the six months before her death.
She collapsed at a training program just outside Tokyo.
“We determined her work caused the illness,” an official at the local Japanese Labour Bureau said.
“She had early symptoms such as headaches some three weeks before she collapsed, and we presume she already had the illness at that point.”
Now, you might be asking yourself how this could happen. I did the same thing.
But apparently, Japan’s labour laws don’t obligate companies to pay overtime to workers in managerial positions.
(This was a source of embarrassment for McDonald’s Japan in 2008 too, when a court forced it to pay $70,000 USD to an employee for several years’ worth of unpaid OT.)
So, the question begs to be asked: is this a problem for Japan, or is this a problem for everyone?
No doubt North American managers are worked to the bone too, but since they are often compensated appropriately, does it change the dynamic to an employee’s health?
Is 80 hours of OT a month different just outside Tokyo than it is, say, just outside Toronto?
By Jason Buckland, MSN Money
Posted by: Andrew | Nov 5, 2021 9:32:34 AM
In Ontario more and more rights are being taken away from workers. Employers are no longer required to compensate managers and I.T. staff for overtime, yet we are asked to work more and more overtime to pick up the slack for those teams that are now located offshore. It is outrageous that our government has allowed this to happen. They are suppose to stand up for us, yet time and time again they show us that they only care about standing up for rich corporations. I'd like those government officials who voted for that law to come over to my place and do some house work for free. Is that a ridiculous request? I sure think so. People should not be asked to work for free! Just because I'm in I.T. doesn't mean I should be excluded from this!
Posted by: Secret | Nov 5, 2021 10:55:26 AM
Andrew - Good for you.
Back in the 1990's people worked overtime for FREE - no cash and no time off in lu of overtime either. Sorry but time is money for me too, not just for the owners (either private or shareholders).
There are ongoing lawsuits re: this issue in Ontario Canada
Posted by: kai | Nov 5, 2021 1:00:07 PM
interesting article
Posted by: Bailey | Nov 5, 2021 1:14:03 PM
I feel for the woman's family. it is the same in Canada. If you are a manager you get no compensation for overtime worked. I think that if it had to be paid by the companies they may hire someone else to pick up the slack. In the oilfield it is even worse. If your a manager or overseer or dispatch you get nothing for your extra work that is literally killing you. I think that this is an issue that the government needs to look into and make some changes for the labour laws.
Posted by: KO | Nov 5, 2021 1:38:51 PM
Curious - what is the basis for the statement "No doubt North American managers are worked to the bone too, but since they are often compensated appropriately..." Compensated appropriately says who? Certainly not in my experience.
Posted by: Gregg Chamberlain | Nov 5, 2021 3:18:32 PM
Companies don't care.
For sure it is the same situation in the media field. I worked for one paper that was owned by Quebecor. I for damn sure worked more than 40 hours a week to try to cover all the news, sports, and community events going on.
Never got more than my agreed-upon 40-hours-a-week salary. No overtime. Damn little compensation for the driving around required.
Head office didn't care. All it cared about was the ad revenue and that the papers sold. If I drove myself into the ground to get the job done, that was fine as far as the boys back east were concerned.
Companies just don't care.
Posted by: ES | Nov 5, 2021 4:46:33 PM
I'm just a lowly 9-5 worker and my boss told me this week that if I didn't work more unpaid overtime, I could never expect to 'grow' with the company. Complete garbage!
Posted by: Thrawn | Nov 5, 2021 4:50:26 PM
In Alberta its like that for managers too. Especially in the Health region, where while it was bad before the the health regions combined, its worse now. Some people are expected to take on the jobs of five people, while only being compensated for one job, with no overtime pay. Even worse, there are no unions for mangers so there is nobody to fight for their rights. Its funny - nurses get paid so much for overtime, yet somehow the people who oversee them often don't get paid anything....and even though they technically are suppose to what can you do? If you bring it to court you'll never get a job in health care in alberta again....o
Posted by: RM | Nov 5, 2021 5:38:44 PM
I used to work for one of Canada's major railways as a low level manager. I remember resenting the required 50 hours a week but then missing the 50 when it turned into 60 hours a week. In other words 80 hours of OT a month. This was all covered by our salary which I had no complaints with. Fortunately for me I was able to move on to other employment that has a more agreeable schedule. My friends who continue to work for that railway put in far more time in what I believe to be a far more difficult environment than the unfortunate woman in the article. Many of them have missed time at work due to stress related illness. It's like the old football movie "North Dallas Forty" about how football players are abused by the employer. In North Dalls forty they said "The players are the equipment (not the shoulder pads and the balls) to be replaced as required". It's the nature of the business. People get sucked into situations like these by their ambition and greed. Ther's more to life than i big pay cheque. The high pay isn't worth it. Moving on is good.
Posted by: Jason | Nov 5, 2021 5:55:27 PM
Definitely, people in the business world work at least two jobs. Thanks to cell phones, laptops, etc. we work constantly at work, away from work and are expected to. If we don't there is someone out there who will. Best to find work in the government or teach. The latter you are well rewarded with months of holidays and $$ to make up for a few hours spent making lesson plans or correcting papers. I know. I was there. I left looking for a challenge and got on a treadmill of a 'work can kill' career.
Posted by: MC | Nov 5, 2021 11:06:01 PM
very interesting point you made there...
it would be interesting to look at the difference btw individuals working OT with no compensation vs OT w compensation....
Posted by: WILL-I-AM | Nov 6, 2021 8:45:40 AM
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF EVERYTHING WAS FREE?
Posted by: James Ang | Nov 6, 2021 12:12:36 PM
In today industries wide restructuring trend, increasingly more companies will try to cut expenditure. This includes hiring freeze, retrenchment and reduced work week. Thus, employees who survive retrenchment exercise will likely to have more workload added.
Even if one have helpful and understanding management and co-workers, they tend to have more workload compare to past. Thus, they are not able to share and reduce one another workload. Not many have the option to leave their jobs and still able to find new jobs in today global recession business climate. Also, the risk of venture into small businesses start-up is quite risky for most.
Thus, the current proactive solution is to find a balanced win – win situation for both employers and employees. The question is whether there is any available win –win workable solutions. At least, some proactive suggestions for employees to release their stress level properly without causing damage to their professional, personal and family life.
After all, work fatigue can result in increase chances of industrial accident and costly business decision mistake.
Have a nice day!
Best Regards,
James Ang
http://omnigens.wordpress.com
[James Ang is a Gen Y Blogger (or Gen Y Pro blogger - stands for Professional Blogger) who blogs mainly on innovation, peer learning, personal development and well beings.]
About The omniGenerations Blog’s Concept
The omniGenerations Blog (or The omniGens blog in short) is a peer learning community blog or a peer learning micro wiki blog that focus on the holistic development of our lives. The omniGens Blog leverages on the collective wisdom of our proactive community in helping us to achieve simple work – life balance and happiness. Make Life Simple.
Posted by: Don | Nov 6, 2021 12:31:06 PM
What would happen to the unemployment rate if companies were not given the loopholes for not paying for OT? Companies would have to hire more people as it would be cheaper to hire more help than to pay the OT.
Unfortunatley that would mean the rich might not get richer and that is just not the Canadian way.
Posted by: BuzzBomb | Nov 6, 2021 11:52:19 PM
I work in the health care industry in BC. 2 Contracts ago we were legislated back to work and then the Govt. clawed back 14% of our wages!! The next contract we settled for peanuts because we figured the BC Govt would just repeat their greedy totalitarian actions. Now the Ambulance drivers are being treated the same way. What gives the provincial government the right to corrupt the collective agreement process. And workers right to a fair liveable wage? What really irked me was the same Campbell government voted themselves a very healthy raised a few months later!! We have one of the highest costs of living rates in Canada and yet our wages are lagging very far behind and progressively get worse each year. I know of 1 co-worker that had to declare personal bankruptcy and another that is on orderly payments of debts plan. They both are working full time,single females and cant make ends meet. Neither of them were living lavish life styles prior to this. On occasion, I have had to take out payday loans just to meet my rent!
Posted by: trudy | Nov 7, 2021 2:34:00 AM
I think there is a huge difference between those who are forced to work overtime to keep their jobs and are not compensated ie, management and those who are well paid receiving overtime pay. I have a friend who drives a cement truck and has time to nap and read while on duty. He is obsessed with the almighty dollar and works as much overtime as he can. He earns far more than most managers I know. (over $110,000/yr) His salary is ridiculously large and he has all those benefits that most of us have lost. This with only a high school education. He complains if he cannot chalk up 10-20 hours of overtime per week.
Posted by: James Ang | Nov 8, 2021 8:52:19 AM
Honestly speaking, many poor, rich and middle class groups (alternately known as sandwich class) are affected by this current global subprime mortgage crisis. Many PMETs tend to fall under this middle class group. A lot of PMETs are trying to adapt to this current subprime mortgage crisis.
Personally, I’m still learning the best way to adapt to this financial crisis. Sometimes we can experience unfortunate things happen to us.
For example, I have been experiencing extreme underweight and parasite problem for past two decades. Currently, both modern medicine and traditional Chinese medicine past treatment not yet resolve these problems completely . I still need to move on with my life. More details, pleas read Born To Be Super Thin - http://su.pr/2UK5oj
Learning from past recession survival, they had many techniques that is useful for us. For businesses and people who had successfully survived the Great Depression , 1997 Asia Financial Crisis and dot-com bubble burst , there is some useful insight they can share with us. These are two articles are:
1. Learning From The Great Depression - http://su.pr/AFCEz7
I had written an article that contains some valuable insight and lesson from people and various businesses who had survived the Great Depression. It contains some News interview articles on the survival techniques used by these featured individuals and businesses.
Have a nice day!
Best Regards,
James Ang
http://omnigens.wordpress.com
[James Ang is a Gen Y Blogger (or Gen Y Pro blogger - stands for Professional Blogger) who blogs mainly on innovation, peer learning, personal development and well beings.]
About The omniGenerations Blog’s Concept
The omniGenerations Blog (or The omniGens blog in short) is a peer learning community blog or a peer learning micro wiki blog that focus on the holistic development of our lives. The omniGens Blog leverages on the collective wisdom of our proactive community in helping us to achieve simple work – life balance and happiness. Make Life Simple.
Posted by: James Ang | Nov 8, 2021 8:58:15 AM
2. Beacon of Hope in a Financial Storm - http://bit.ly/3Dxl0z
==========================================
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This blog article is about the sharing of 4 critical recession survival lesson. These are [1]. Acceptance, [2.] Be realistic, [3.] Be solution focused and [4.] Commit to life’s goal. This blog article contains not just my own personal experience. There are some relevant career article advice, online News articles and some peer learning material to at least help readers to motivate themselves.
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Have a nice day!
Best Regards,
James Ang
http://omnigens.wordpress.com
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[James Ang is a Gen Y Blogger (or Gen Y Pro blogger - stands for Professional Blogger) who blogs mainly on innovation, peer learning, personal development and well beings.]
About The omniGenerations Blog’s Concept
===========================
The omniGenerations Blog (or The omniGens blog in short) is a peer learning community blog or a peer learning micro wiki blog that focus on the holistic development of our lives. The omniGens Blog leverages on the collective wisdom of our proactive community in helping us to achieve simple work – life balance and happiness. Make Life Simple.
Posted by: Redneck | Nov 9, 2021 12:34:41 AM
Why dont yall quit complainin and stand up for yerself? If yer boss tells u to work O/T unpaid tell him to get bent. I had bosses try and do that to me and I told em where to go...how to get there...and wat to do when they got there and walkd out the door and its not suprisin to me how fast they chase ya down to agree to yer terms cause they wont find anyone to put up with their shit and if they do they wont last long. if they dont chase u down its their loss and u move on. maybe its in american in me but yall need to grow a pair and not runaway and cry to the government cause they aint gonna do nothin for u anyway. Their as crooked as most these 2 bit slave drivin employers. there aint always gonna be someone there to help u.
Posted by: Guy | Nov 9, 2021 7:27:14 AM
I worked for an American company here in Montreal Canada. I was a territory manager and worked more than 100 hours a week sometimes. I was making a big pay but I also had 2 small children at the time. The burden of raising my children was almost entirely on my wife. This was a big mistake for all of us. I ""scooted" my little ones out of my office when I was home constantly because of my work load..I had little time. I regret doing this so much now. They were precious years when they were little and I will never get that time back. My wife was exhausted, my children missed me and I was miserable. I made money and bought a nice house and everything that went with it. However, if I look at the number of hours I was doing for that pay cheque, I wasn't making as much as it seemed on paper. Sure my annual salary was great, a new company car every two years, bonuses and company trips to tropical locations. It definately wasn't worth the trade for something I lost and can never get back.... time with my little ones.
Family, health and quality of your happines is what really matters. Money should alway be secondary.