Indians Chronically Overworked. How to Avoid Burnout, Save Yourself

As professionals started working from home (WFH) during the pandemic, the lines between the bedroom and the boardroom blurred. Office hours, unnoticed, fused into family time, fueling a new epidemic—burnout. The land of ‘aaram haaram hai’ (It’s immoral to laze around) became a fertile ground for the hustle culture. Indian billionaires started advising people to work all day, and then, all night. There is plenty of data to show that overwork and work-life imbalance is killing Indians. But in a country where jobs are at a premium, there is no switching off for those who have managed to keep a job.

That was exemplified in the case of Anna Sebastian Periyal, a Chartered Accountant with Ernst & Young, one of the Big Four in the accounting world. Her mother said Anna lost her life as she was forced to overwork. She had been working 14-hour shifts, seven days of the week, for four months since she joined E&Y.

It isn’t that overwork is an abstract concept. Several top international organisations have quantified it, and explained in what ways it is killing millions around the world.

Why We Call Overworking an Epidemic in India

According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), India ranks as the second most overworked country in the world with 51% of those employed working for 49 hours or more. The ILO recommends 48-hour work weeks with not more than eight hours a day.

The ‘all work and no play’ mantra is resulting in record-high burnout among Indians. The symptoms of burnout are overthinking, palpitations, body aches, gastric symptoms, restlessness, as noted by Dr. Sneha Sharma, a Delhi-based psychologist.

Some of the highest rates of burnout and these symptoms are seen in Indians. A 2023 McKinsey Health Institute survey reports that India has the highest rates of burnout symptoms at 59% and the highest workplace exhaustion at 62%.

Work and India have a colonial relationship. It is not that Indians don’t enjoy leisure, but in a country that threw off the colonial yoke, tireless work is associated with nation-building.

Overworking is a cultural phenomenon too. In India, the emphasis is on serving others with a sense of self-sacrifice. This is diametrically opposite from countries, like the US, that focus on individualism.

A study by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the ILO concludes “that working 55 or more hours per week is associated with an estimated 35% higher risk of a stroke and a 17% higher risk of dying from ischaemic heart disease, compared to working 35-40 hours a week”.

Industries Most Affected

In several sectors in India, professionals overwork themselves into the danger zone. Software engineers, junior lawyers and doctors, journalists, executives from marketing and sales, finance and banking, and Big Pharma are mostly overworked.

“Overwork can even kill people. The body can adapt to shorter periods of overwork, but this has to be an exception, or it can lead to burnout and chronic stress followed by diabetes, hypertension, and even cardiac disease. It can really be deadly,” says Dr. Sneha Sharma, a Delhi-based psychiatrist.

Last year, Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy stirred a hornets’ nest by advising young people to work 70 hours a week to boost the Indian economy. Many others also said an “unconventional” work week is needed in India to take advantage of the demographic dividend, and boost India’s economy.

The death of Anna Sebastian Periyal shows the heavy price that individuals end up paying for the overwork culture.

Government Regulations and Overwork

The Factories Act of 1948 limits factory workers to 48 hours a week, ensuring mandatory rest days and providing overtime pay at double the regular rate for hours worked beyond nine in a day or 48 in a week. But this law applies only to factory workers and there are no provisions that protect professionals from burnout.

“The ideal working hours which we are informed of during the time of joining remain just on paper. In the real world, we have to be active 24×7 and ready to respond to the requirements of our company,” says Ankit, a software engineer working for a US-based tech company from its Gurgaon office.

Not just IT companies, banking, financial services, and insurance firms also see a big burnout toll. That is because they serve offshore clients, coordinating with teams abroad.

“Shift hours are not usually followed. We work with teams overseas, but we start according to Indian time and then continue to work on the on-shore team’s time as well,” comments Rishika, who works for an MNC finance and accounting company in Mumbai.

Akshat, who works with a pharmaceutical startup, said his company has a ‘no work beyond 10 pm’ policy, but that is never followed. “Something keeps coming up. It’s always something urgent that the boss demands,” says the data analyst.

The demands of the boss beyond shift timings, and the willingness to meet those are ingrained in a society like India’s.

Aarti Kelshikar’s book ‘How India Works’ introduces the Power Distance Index (PDI), highlighting India’s high score of 77, indicating a strong preference for hierarchy and a high regard for rank and authority compared to a global average of 55. In such societies, where there’s a high regard for hierarchy, it becomes difficult for employees to turn down regular requests to work beyond office hours.

To add to a high regard for rank and authority are job insecurity, skyrocketing prices of food and housing, medical treatment, and the need to save for retirement in a country with zero social security benefits.

“A lot of my clients are from the Big Four and other corporate giants, and the burnout is more widespread than we would like to believe. Some of them have 18-hour work roles. They even get messages at 4 am, and have to respond to them. A lot of this also comes from job insecurity since the pandemic. Given the lay-offs, my clients are traumatised,” says Mishra.

People who spoke to India Today Digital said they found it difficult to balance their personal and professional lives. They said it was difficult for them to switch off after work.

For people in the media industry, switching off is a big problem with the 24×7 news cycle.

According to a report by software company Muck Rack, 96% of journalists have a hard time switching off after work. At least four out of 10 journalists have left a job previously due to burnout.

Solutions to Avoid Burnout

Organisations need to wake up to the fact that the hustle culture is getting people killed. Moreover, both employers and employees will have to understand the difference between a workaholic and a hard worker.

Employees in India also have to learn to disconnect. In August, Australia came up with a law called the ‘Right to Disconnect’, which ensures that people can refuse to stay in contact with their employers after work hours without any penalty. Similarly, in 2016, France passed a law that gave employees the right to disconnect after work.

1. Be Aware of Burnout Symptoms

Prevention is the best cure. Look out for symptoms of burnout, suggests Dr. Sneha Sharma, the Delhi-based psychiatrist. “Overthinking, palpitations, body aches, gastric symptoms, restlessness, and being irritable are some of the symptoms of overworking,” she adds.

2. Draw Clear Lines and Speak Up for Yourself

Communicate boundaries in personal or professional lives. Make a timetable, have daily goals, and track hours. Discipline can help save you from burnout, advises psychologist Ishangi.

3. Have a Social Life

Call your friends, make plans with them, and meet your loved ones. Prioritize your personal life to feel fulfilled, suggests Ishangi.

4. Invest in Your Hobbies

Engage in hobbies and activities that make you feel fulfilled, she adds.

5. Make Visual Maps About Your Life

Make visual cards about daily, weekly, and monthly tasks. Stick to the clock to develop a system, says psychologist Ishangi.

6. Take Regular Breaks

Consistent breaks, good nutrition, and exercise are essential. A vacation alone can’t cure burnout, emphasizes Dr. Sharma.

7. Seek Professional Help When Needed

“Seek therapy if needed. You don’t have to do it alone,” advises psychologist Ishangi.

8. Collaborate for a Better Workplace

People collectively need to ask for a better workspace. Good work management and support can significantly help, says software engineer Ankit.

9. Stocktaking and Realisation Help

Regular stocktaking of one’s professional life is crucial. Understand your reasons for working, set clear goals, and remember that professional life is a marathon, not a sprint. This helps in preventing overwork to a great extent.