Catherwood LibraryILR School

In 2015, an analysis of nearly 300 studies found that overly-stressful workplace stress is as likely to lead to a medical illness as second-hand smoke. A number of recent work-related deaths illustrate this phenomena, including a 21-year old Merrill Lynch intern in London who collapsed and died after working 72-hours straight. Long working hours, economic insecurity stemming from job loss and unpredictable work hours, and work-family conflict are just a few of the potentially deadly harmful workplace practices that put so many workers at risk of negative health repercussions related to their work. The American Institute of Stress contests that workplace stress costs the American economy around $300 Billion every year. Approximately 12,000 deaths occur each year in the US from harmful management practices, according to one peer-reviewed article. Around 12.5 million working days were lost in the UK due t work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2016-17, according to the Health and Safety Executive. Some companies, such as Patagonia, Collective Health, SAS Institute, and Google, are taking the issue of workplace-related medical and mental health problems seriously. Employees at these companies get paid time off and are encouraged to use it.