Doctor warns of health risks, premature death due to working long hours after Ola CEO backs 70-hour work week
Doctor warns of health risks, premature death due to working long hours after Ola CEO backs 70-hour work week
Taking it to social media platform X, Hyderabad-based Dr Kumar urged people to choose companies that care for their employees.
Date: July 14, 2024
Recently, Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal, in a podcast, backed Infosys founder Narayana Murthy’s 70-hour work week advice. However, a top neurologist slammed this statement pointing out the many health risks associated with working long hours.
The 38-year-old said that he is not a supporter of the concept of work-life balance.
“When Murthy said that (70-hour work week), I was publicly in support of that and I got trolled on social media for that. But, I don’t care because I have a strong belief that one generation will have to do tapasya… so that we can build the number 1 country in the world, the largest economy,” said Aggarwal.
“I don’t agree with the work-life balance concept because if you are enjoying your work, you will find happiness in life and work also, and both of them will be in harmony,” he added.
Condemning this advice, senior neurologist Dr Sudhir Kumar stated that employees working long hours only benefit the CEO. He further stated that working long hours has been linked to higher chances of stroke, depression symptoms, risk of being overweight and prediabetic and even premature death.
Taking it to social media platform X, Hyderabad-based Dr Kumar urged people to choose companies that care for their employees.
He condensed several scientific studies into four points that reveal the many health risks of working more than 55 hours a week.
“More than 8,00,000 people die every year due to working for more than 55 hours a week. So, it is clear that working long hours is associated with increased risk of multiple serious diseases and even premature death,” wrote Dr Kumar.
Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal backs Narayana Murthy's 70-hour work week advice: Do you agree?
— Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM (@hyderabaddoctor) July 11, 2024
What do the scientific studies show?
➡️Working 55 or more hours per week is associated with a 35% higher risk of a stroke and a 17% higher risk of dying from ischemic heart disease, compared… pic.twitter.com/Lb18PP6RAZ
Long working hours are associated with a higher risk of being overweight, prediabetes and type 2 diabetes, higher risk of stroke and ischemic heart disease, moderate to severe depressive symptoms and even premature death.
