People Working Over 11 Hours A Day Are At Risk For Depression

by Robert Wilkinson

While I know it seems like a no-brainer that working yourself to death makes a person unhappy (and maybe depressed – do you think?), it surprises me how many are in that situation these days. An on-going poll tells the story…..

Courtesy of a story at MSNBC and Today.com, we see research reporting that “People who worked more than 11 hours a day were more than twice as likely to be depressed than their co-workers who put in an 8-hour day.” They attached an insta-poll to the story, allowing people to vote in one of 5 categories to the question “Are you working more than 11 hours a day?” The results so far are fairly depressing for what they reveal about the 10,000 who have voted so far.

I realize this is not scientific, since those voting include only people with a computer who visit msnbc AND choose to read this story and vote. Also, there are other possible ways to break it down, such as those who work 8-11 hours, or those who work fewer hours who are still depressed over their working conditions (or lack thereof). But without being overweighted with considerations about what wasn’t asked, I figured these numbers were interesting in and of themselves, and say a lot about American working life.

I picked up the thread at 8000 votes, and monitored the results every so often. They seem to track consistently, which could mean the population coming to that article is fairly consistent, or fairly narrow. Here are the numbers to the question “Are you working more than 11 hours a day?”

At 8030 votes:

Yes, and I feel depressed. - 36.6% (2,941 votes)
Yes, but I don't feel depressed - 30.7% (2,468 votes)
No, I put in 8 hours and I like my work-life balance - 15.6% (1,255 votes)
No, but my job still depresses me - 12.6% (1,013 votes)
I just wish I had a job. - 4.4% (353 votes)

At 9078 votes:

Yes, and I feel depressed. - 36.7% (3,328 votes)
Yes, but I don't feel depressed – 31% (2,816 votes)
No, I put in 8 hours and I like my work-life balance - 15% (1,361 votes)
No, but my job still depresses me - 12.6% (1,148 votes)
I just wish I had a job. - 4.7% (425 votes)

At 10,098 votes:

Yes, and I feel depressed. - 36.7% (3,709 votes)
Yes, but I don't feel depressed – 31.4% (3,166 votes)
No, I put in 8 hours and I like my work-life balance – 14.6% (1,473 votes)
No, but my job still depresses me - 12.4% (1,257 votes)
I just wish I had a job. - 4.9% (493 votes)

Here are a few insights about these numbers:

Over time the first group held reasonably steady as a clear majority. Lots of people out there working at least 11 hours a day and feel depressed.

The number of respondents in the second group grew over time. It’s the next largest, and implies that this is somewhat of a balanced sample within its parameters, since the growth in this group over time evens out the difference between those who are depressed and those who are not depressed.

The rapid shrinking of the third group over time would seem to imply that those of us who work full time and are reasonably happy with the balance between our work and our lives are fewer than we think. Its total now is less than half of either group of those who work 11+ hours a day.

The fact that both “No” groups together do not add up to anything close to either “Yes” group clearly indicates that many more are working 11+ hours than less, whether depressed or not.

In the sample of 10K+ votes, the “Yes” groups add up to 68.1%, while the “No” groups add up to 27%. That means over 2/3 of the people who read and answered this poll are working over 11+ hours a day.

The fourth group held reasonably steady percentages, and shows a group that is not overworked, but is depressed. It could be their jobs are unfulfilling, or meaningless, or a grind without consuming half the day. Or they could just be “depressed” personalities for whatever reason. (I personally believe that most depression could be lessened through regular meditation and a few diet changes, but that’s another topic for another article.)

The numbers for the last group are a real drag. They grew over time, implying that a larger number of unemployed found their way to the article over time. These are people with computers and internet but have no work. 5% actually said they have no job. The total number of unemployed must be huge, since this sample excludes those with no home, no computer, no electricity, or no internet. Also those in shelters, under bridges, in public parks, or living in cars. This 5% are computer literate, have access to internet, like to read the news, and are willing to take the time to answer spot polls.

So consider this quick snapshot from The Twilight Zone as food for thought of an America entering a widespread, long term depression. Clearly we need to find ways to de-stress, find new patterns of enjoying our lives and time here on Earth, and remember what really matters. From these numbers, it’s obvious that not only is work not everything, it could be the source of difficulty, especially if there isn’t a balance between work, play, family, and personal spiritual maintenance.

© Copyright 2012 Robert Wilkinson

Comments

[Patricia]

I work over 11 hours a day. My employer cut my full time hours from 40 a week to 24. 2 days a week. I do graphic production work for a struggling free publication. Most work like this has been shipped overseas to India. The reasons people are working like this are varied. In my case it's the inability of my employer to change. Also the downfall of the unions means that there are very few rights of workers any more. Employers can do what they like. I have seen workers dismissed after 24 years at the company, by a boss who's had a few too many drinks. The abuses I have seen are heartbreaking. The human suffering it causes is so unnecessary.The concept of a "work week" has changed. I know a few people who have 9-5 jobs and they are in unions. What was fought for and gained after the great depression has been erased. Here is an interesting way to look at what the future of our society could look like. http://www.skeptic.ca/Bertrand_Russell_Collection.pdf
Things could change, if we cared more about each other, and the damage done to working people everywhere.

[ull]

It doesn´t surprise me - I´ve read that people committ suicide in China (se Foxconn for example) and also in France (Telecom) because of horrible working conditions..

[Beth in SoCal]

Lifeless work - drone mentality will kill anyone's spirit under oppressive conditions. Corporatization of our modern societies is a real & present danger to quality of life. This mentality carries over into our daily lives. If a person is not doing something, they feel anxious - they think they should be doing something. I have a close friend I helped out years ago advising that they did not know how to "not-do", they did not know how to just rest (sleep, yes - rest, no). They have improved, but it is a powerful subtle message hammering people 24/7 in our social media, mobile wireless, world. Good share as always - Thanks.

[Robert]

Hi Patricia - Sorry to hear your work load is so great. Part time is one way employers have shaved benefits over the years. No more cradle-to-grave loyalty, no more lifetime benefits, and we're all expendable. Unions helped that a long time ago but now they're too small to do much good, given the corporate conspiracy to break them. The 11 hour slave day will end when this current model becomes unsustainable. And yes, it will look more like teamwork where people care about others on the team, since we're more productive together than we are separately.

Hi ull - Haven't done much on Foxconn as the entire world's abuzz about it. Recent PR is doing some damage control, but I don't have much hope for real reform until Apple and the others do something about it.

Hi Beth - Yes, too many work at work that does not fulfill their Spirit. Corporations are about profit, and that only - which is why productivity and profits are up, but hiring isn't, nor are benefits. Squeeze 'em, use 'em up, throw 'em away, and find another who will work even harder for less.

I always recommend that if your work is killing you, find a new skill that the world needs that you could like to do. Then you'll always be in demand, set your own work times (within reason, since the better you are the more demand there will be for your services!), and will be free to find fulfillment any way you can by becoming more and more excellent at what you do (which yield ancillary benefits, since an active mind and imagination always open door we never saw before.)

[Robert]

Hi all - I originally posted this on Feb 20. It's now Feb 25. Here are the latest numbers:

At 11,813 votes

Yes, and I feel depressed - 35.9% (4,241 votes)
Yes, but I don't feel depressed - 30.7% (3,621 votes)
No, I put in 8 hours and I like my work-life balance - 15.3% (1,812 votes)
No, but my job still depresses me - 13% (1,537 votes)
I just wish I had a job - 5.1% (602 votes)

So over time and an increase in numbers voting, Group 1 shrank considerably, while Groups 2 and 3 went back to their original levels, more or less tracking the original percentages. Groups 4 and 5 continued to increase over time.

So the larger the sample the fewer people working 11 or more hours a day, but 48.9% still feel depressed and 46% don't feel depressed, about the same as the last time I ran the numbers. That implies these numbers aren't skewed, except they only reflect internet users who chose to vote in this survey. And again, the worst statistic is that those without a job continue to grow over time as a group in the survey.