Death from overwork is for real, the Japanese even have a word for it

China said it lost 246 policemen last year to overwork, two-thirds of all who died in the line of duty. Long recognised as a problem in the developing world, overwork is a reality in offices everywhere. The Japanese call it ‘karoshi’. While no direct link has been found between overwork and death, experts feel it's best to avoid long hours at office and workplace stress.

WORKAHOLICS NEED TO GET OUT OF OFFICE
People who work long hours (≥55 hours/week) are three times more at risk of stroke than those working standard hours (35-40 hours/week), says a 2015 study in the journal, Lancet. The study of 6 lakh individuals, however, found that the link with coronary heart disease was weaker.
AS THE JAPANESE FOUND OUT LONG AGO
The phenomenon of fatal overwork was first recognised in 1987, after the sudden deaths of a string of top Japanese execs. The Japanese also have a word for death due to overwork -- karoshi. If a death is judged karoshi, the victim’s family gets compensation from the government of around $20,000 per year and company payouts of up to $1.6m. However, to count as karoshi, victims must have worked more than 100 hours of overtime in the month before their death – or 80 hours of overtime in two or more consecutive months in the previous six.
IT'S AN ISSUE IN CHINA TOO
China loses around 600,000 people to guolaosi – as it is known locally – every year, according to the China Youth Daily. That's a daily average of 1,600 deaths due to overwork. The figure may be contentious, but Chinese police officially admitting 246 deaths due to overwork doe point to the presence of a problem.
MANY HAVE PUNISHING HOURS
A 2014 study of OECD members found Mexican workers clocking the longest stints in office annually -- an eye-watering 2,255 hours, or a weekly 43 hours. In India, the Factories Act, 1948, says no adult can work for more than 48 hours/week and not more than 9 hrs/day. But a 2016 study by Manpower Group found Indian millennials working 52-hour weeks, the highest globally.
AND INDIANS ALSO AMONG MOST VACATION DEPRIVED
Travel website Expedia's 2017 Vacation Deprivation Study said 60% of Indians feel they are vacation deprived, just below South Koreans, the French, Malaysians and Hong Kong dwellers.
Source: BBC, OECD, Expedia