Stress at work: these 5 factors can make you sick

June 1, 1891 was a memorable day for Germany’s working class. The industrial revolution had created a new class of society, the wage workers, through new forms of production. They toiled in factories or underground for many hours. But on this June day, labor protection laws came into force in Prussia. Children under 13 years of age were no longer allowed to work in factories, young people under 16 years of age at least no longer than ten hours and women no more than eleven hours. That may still seem like modern slavery today – but back then this step was a revolution.

Workers should be protected – back then from accidents and exploitation. Although jobs are safe today, accidents are the exception. But work can still make you sick today – and even lead to death. . And came to the conclusion: Stress in the workplace leads directly or indirectly to 120,000 deaths annually in the USA. Not a good development for health insurance companies in the country. They pay around $ 190 billion a year for the effects of stress in the workplace.

Stress is another collective term. The university wanted to know exactly which topics and factors promote stress in the job. To do this, the researchers evaluated 228 studies. In the end, they were able to name ten factors each for physical and psychological causes.

When the job makes you sick

There is one factor that has a major impact on the physical health of Americans that does not exist in Germany: the lack of health insurance. In the US, many have to pay their own medical bills. Those who cannot do this usually do not go to the doctor – even though they have an illness. Due to the health insurance system in Germany, this factor cannot be used in this country. The other factors, however, do. The second physical reason is the feeling of injustice in the workplace. This factor is also in fourth place on a psychological level. Shift work, pressure to perform, unemployment, job insecurity and overtime also make people physically ill. The main impact on the psyche is the poor work-life balance, followed by reasons similar to physical illnesses.

Injustice and overtime

In terms of physical illnesses, the researchers count strokes, heart attacks, and an increased risk of accidents due to a lack of concentration. But also flu illnesses that can occur due to a weakened immune system. In the case of physical illnesses, anxiety disorders, depression or burnout are possible consequences.

According to Stanford scientists, the following six main factors are responsible for deaths:

The scientists criticize that in many companies it is no longer about the welfare of the employees, but only about cost control. “We’re talking about people and the quality of their lives. For me, this should get some attention,” explains one of the researchers.