Regularly working long hours doubles the risk of depression

Is regularly working overtime putting employees at risk? Ruth Lunn investigates

A recent study has found that working long hours can increase the risk of depression, regardless of how stressful the work being done is.

Workers who put in an average of at least 11 hours per day at the office had more than double the risk of developing depression than their colleagues who worked 7-8 hour days.

The study was carried out by researchers at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health and University College London, following more than 2,000 middle-aged civil servants over six years. They found a link between working overtime and major depressive episodes.

10.8 million working days were lost in 2010/2011 to mental health issues, including stress, depression and anxiety

The researchers noted that the study, which was published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal PLoS ONE, was confined to ‘white collar’ workers, and therefore it is unclear whether the same conclusions would apply to ‘blue collar’ workers.

The study found that employees with the longest working days were more likely to be male, married, from higher occupational grades, have more active jobs and high social support at work compared to those who worked the standard seven to eight-hour day. In addition, they tended to drink more alcohol than the recommended daily limits and to be ex-smokers.

Lost productivity

It is important to note though, that the researchers do not offer explanations of why long working hours are associated with depression risk. It is likely that several factors work together.

Nevertheless, it underlines the importance for employers of taking mental health seriously. The Health & Safety Executive’s Labour Force Survey estimated that 10.8 million working days were lost in 2010/2011 to mental health issues, including stress, depression and anxiety.

And Legal and General has reported that one third of group income protection (GIP) claims since 2000 were for mental health issues, with the proportion increasing since 2005. GIP claims for mental health were highest in the financial sector – 44% of those claims. Group protection benefits are provided by employers to their employees, paid out if an employee dies in service or is unable to work because of illness or injury.