90-hour work debate: Economic Survey warns of health risks beyond 60 hours

As the debate over the gruelling 70-90 hour work week refuses to die down, the Economic Survey presented today notes that clocking in more than 55-60 hours per week could take a serious toll on the health of an individual.

The survey highlights the significance of an individual’s mental health and points out that individuals who spend 12 or more hours at a desk face a sharp decline in their mental health -- scoring nearly 100 points lower than individuals who spend less than or equal to two hours at a desk.

The survey reveals that individuals who don’t indulge much in eating ultra-processed or packaged junk food have better mental health compared to those who consume it frequently. “Similarly, those who rarely exercise, spend their free time on social media or are not close to their families have worse mental well-being.”

It further indicates a direct link between well-being scores and missed workdays, those with scores between -100 and -50 are unable to work about 25 days each month, while those scoring between 100 and 150 miss just three days, and individuals with scores above 150 miss only two days. “In addition to impacting mental well-being and lifestyle, the workplace culture also affects productivity.”

Among other reasons, strained relationships with managers, coupled with a lack of pride and purpose at work, are strongly linked to the greatest rise in missed workdays.

Since 2021, the Sapien Labs Centre for Human Brain and Mind (the Centre) in India has been compiling a comprehensive dataset on mental well-being, gathering insights from over 1,50,000 internet-connected individuals. This data is ever-evolving, with 2,000-3,000 individuals living in India added each month. During October and November 2024, a special survey was conducted by the Centre focused on how work culture, family bonds, eating habits, leisure time and exercise influence both mental well-being and productivity. It assessed 5,233 digitally-enabled individuals between 18-64 years of age.

The Centre takes a holistic approach to measuring mental well-being by considering an individual’s ability to function, shifting away from the usual symptom-based assessments. It employs the Mental Health Quotient (MHQ), which evaluates 47 aspects of mental function across six diverse dimensions.

Each year, depression and anxiety cause a loss of 12 billion workdays, resulting in a huge loss of $1 trillion, equivalent to around ₹7,000 per day.