New Study: Your Hostile Workplace May Be Killing You

Stressed out at work? Maybe its time for a change

In the latest tell-me-something-i-don’t-know news, a recent study by Tel Aviv University researchers examined the relationship between the workplace and a person’s risk of death.

In this 20-year study (wow, that’s some dedication!), researchers recruited 820 adults ranging from 25-65 years old who had undergone a routine physical exam at a health clinic in 1988 and then interviewed them in detail about their workplace conditions like how nice were their work colleagues, whether their boss was supportive and how much autonomy they had in their position.These people worked in various industries ranging from finance, health care, to manufacturing and insurance.

At the end of the study in 2008, 53 people had died (around 6% of the total people studied).

Here were the not-so-shocking results:

• People who reported having little or no social support from their co-workers were 2.4 times more likely to die than those who had supportive colleagues
• The risk of death was tied only to people’s perceptions of their co-workers, not their bosses. People who reported negative relationships with their bosses were no more likely to die than others
• Men who said they had more autonomy at work had a lower risk of dying than men with less freedom
• Women who reported having power at work had a 70% increased risk of death which could be attributed to the fact that many higher-powered women had more “life” responsibilities than men such as taking care of children, homes, etc.

Really puts the saying “Working yourself to death” into perspective, doesn’t it?

So basically the study proves that having a positive relationship with your co-workers and boss will have a positive impact on your overall health and life span.

If anything, you’re spending more time with people at work than your own friends and family, so you might as well be happy!