Labor Day has come and gone along with the unofficial end of summer. Hopefully you were able to enjoy some vacation days or relax a little bit, but these days it seems like more and more workers are taking “working vacations” and regularly staying an hour or two later at the office. Over the years, the average number of hours worked has increased to a standard of 47 hours. A Gallup poll states that more than half of workers work more than 40 hours a week, 18 percent report they work 60 hours or more a week. It also seems like salaried employees work five hours more a week than those who work full-time (40 hours a week) but on an hourly basis.

While going the extra mile is nothing to be ashamed about and hard work is typically a good thing, there are consequences to refusing to take a break. In a summary statement from the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) it was reported that overtime and longer hours were also associated with increased injury rates, more illnesses, unhealthy weight gain, stress and a myriad of other consequences.

In the CDC summary, they found that the longer hours at work translated to higher risks of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, stress, depression, diabetes, fatigue, musculoskeletal disorders and overall health complaints. They also think that in professions like construction, nursing, veterinarians, bus drivers, truck drivers, and miners, longer work hours can raise the risk of injuries at work. Maybe this is because workers are fatigued, stressed, or find it difficult to focus and so are more prone to accidents. The analysis found that workers who worked upwards of 60 hours a week were 23% more likely to get injures on the job, and those who put in 12 hours or more in a day at the office were 37% more likely to be injured at work. Working beyond 11 hours a day could raise risk of heart disease by 67 percent- perhaps due to the extended stress or the related poor diet and lack of exercise that come with it.

Not only does the stress caused from working longer and later have the potential to cause accidents, it can cause burnout and depression- which can lead to workers taking more time off or developing chronic issues like depression or musculoskeletal problems. None of those things are a positive trend when it comes to your work comp premiums or employee safety and morale. More hours at work may not always be the best solution. Encourage your workers to work hard without pushing them to the brink. A stress-free worker is a healthy worker.