Lainey

If you've been saying for years that long hours at work are killing you, forward this article to your boss--it might literally be true. According to a new study, people who work more than 10 hours a day are about 60 percent more likely to develop heart disease or have a heart attack than people who clock just seven hours a day.

Take it easy!

RedY2KS2k

The Japanese are known for their work ethic and loyalty to the company. The term "karoshi" (worked to death) has appeared on at least one death certificate.

On the other hand, I have told interviewers that "I work to live; I don't live to work. If that's a problem, hire someone else." I got the job. But that was many years ago, in a different world.

dlq04

I wouldn't rule it out; even in these difficult times employers like honest straight forward people. That was always my sentiments as well and I worked for the same company my entire 33 year career.

Lainey

Good for you. Too many companies are demanding more and more from their workers. In this economy, they are getting away with it too.

boltonblue

So the data may be right but I think you have to lift the sheets and look at the sub-classes of the +10 hour a week work group.
WHY does the person work the extra ten?

I know people who love what they do, and as the saying goes, they've never worked a day in their life .
but if they're working for a jerk and working OT to pay for those 6 kids in college or to keep a roof over their head, he can be looking at a heart attack.
Or maybe they're the type A driven control freak... and a 50 hour is just normal if not a short week.
I went home Monday night at 9:30 and was happy to be going home early.

MsPerky

Yeah, I tend to agree that it's not so much the number of hours as it is the work environment. Many more people leave jobs because of the environment than they do the hours/pay.

dlq04

I feel sorry for anyone who honestly believes their job is their life. I NEVER believed that the number of hours you work = how effective you are. Over my career, I could count the number of times I put in a 'full 40-hour week' on one hand - really, ask anyone who worked with me. I took pride in my work and exceeding expectations but I never for a minute believed that job success somehow made me something special. FWIW, both of my last two bosses, who were ten to fifteen years younger than I, are both on the other side of the grass.

Triple-H

Exactly!

I'm a classic example of working too many hours, but let's look at just night, I put in a 10+ hour day, but, at 5:30, I went upstairs, took a beer (or two...) out of the fridge here in the agency and went back to work. This environment knows, long hours are going to be needed, and it does what it can to make it as easy to deal with as possible.

Triple-H

Four thoughts
1- good for you
2- not all industries are the same
3- number of hours put in does indeed play a role in my degree of effectiveness
4- my life is about friends, family, & hobbies, and although I work much more that 40-hours, it does not change that fact

Chris Stack

It's hard to generalize on stuff like this.

Personally, for instance, I usually work 2 35 hour-ish weeks and 2 60+ hour weeks, based on workload (first and last weeks of the month are busy closing the books, first and last weeks of the quarter even more so; middle of the month [right now] is slooooow.)

Also, for many of us, work and life bleed into each other. Just yesterday I left work after about 9 hours, got three emails on my way home that needed responses, so when I got home I fired up the laptop and worked another 30-45 minutes. Checked my email again before I went to bed. But the flip side is, I can leave early (like I'll do tomorrow, leaving work at noon because my folks are coming out to visit) and still be "in touch" since I get all my email on my phone.

And I really do enjoy my job, as well as the people I work with. Generally, those 60-hour weeks fly right by; it's only the 35 hour weeks that are a chore to get through since I'm bored.