A study of 6,000 British civil servants, published in the European Heart Journal, suggests that people who regularly put in overtime increase their heart disease risk by nearly two thirds.
And according to wellbeing consultancy Water Wellpoint, this is a serious concern for the British workforce, as a recent survey conducted by the company revealed that 72% of respondents work longer than their basic hours and 27% work late every day.
Rory Murphy, who leads external affairs at Water Wellpoint, said: "Our survey showed that binge working is ingrained in today's work culture. And we believe the recession is definitely having an impact on how people work. Our survey found 34% of respondents said that they work longer hours now to meet increased deadlines and targets. In fact, working late now seems to be standard practice, with nearly a third of workers (29%) staying after hours twice a week and 27% working overtime every day. And they are not alone - nearly half (48%) said their colleagues work overtime too.
"With this new research indicating a considerable risk of heart disease as a result of working overtime, this should send alarm bells to workers and their employers. At Water Wellpoint we recognise the importance of putting in place measures that help alert people to any potential health problems. People need to be continually monitoring their general health - prevention is the key - not just to wait for something to happen."
