When work kills

Last week, Você RH magazine featured the following as its cover story: “Causa mortis: work. Why are people dying for a paycheck?”. What is already known in Japan by the term karoshi,is now reaching the West as a concern that doesn't leave the bottom line behind: in the United States, it is estimated that employment ends the lives of 120,000 people per year, resulting in a loss of 180 billion dollars—or 8% of total healthcare costs—as stated by Jeffrey Pfeffer, a professor of organizational behavior at Stanford University.

In Brazil, things are not much different: in the first few months of 2018, the Social Security system recorded 8,015 leaves of absence granted by the INSS due to mental and behavioral disorders acquired on the job—a 12% increase compared to the same period the previous year. Time off for depression and anxiety also increased by 5%, whereas ten years ago this rate was less than 4%. Public health spending here has also risen in the categories of psychological and behavioral disorders: 784.3 million reais were spent between 2012 and 2016, representing 7% of the country's medical expenses.

Among the reasons for this scenario are specific day-to-day work situations, as well as low wages and a lack of time for workers to take care of their own health. It also doesn't exclude the fact that, even though the workday ends, the same cannot be said for WhatsApp messages and email inboxes. “We are living in a situation of dehumanization,” USP psychology professor Sigmar Malvezzi commented to the magazine.

But this is not an issue reserved only for those with formal employment contracts; it also affects professionals working in the so-called gig economy—people who perform temporary work or provide extra services on platforms supported by apps like Uber or Rappi. The result, as the Você RH report indicates, is a “greater number of workers who have to fend for themselves, lack access to health insurance or other benefits, and suffer from financial insecurity.” They are, therefore, solely responsible for themselves, which does not mean they have prior knowledge of how to manage their own careers and money—hence the consequences for their mental and physical health.

Last week also saw the death of model Tales Soares during a runway show at São Paulo Fashion Week. Even without the publication of the medical report, what came to light was a questioning of the unsustainability of the fashion market, from its production chain to the way it treats its collaborators. Various professionals in the field posted testimonials and vents on their social media about the event, both regarding the reaction of the brand and the fashion week organization (which continued the show even after the model was rescued) and the general way models are treated.

On her Instagram, model Natasha Soares exposed responses from coworkers who said they did not feel healthy in their own bodies, that they are never good enough, and that during fashion season, they exercise so much that they get sick. In other words, when an industry sells an ideal that even its own actors cannot sustain, how can it be sustainable and admired by consumers? While those outside the industry are impacted by fashion's images and ideals, those on the runway and behind the cameras are also suffering and dying to fuel a lie that benefits no one.

The entire system seems to be eroding: there are 13.1 million unemployed Brazilians and an increase in self-employed professionals registering as MEI (7.7 million in December 2017), which represents the possibility of an even larger deficit in the social security system. Meanwhile, in Latin America and the Caribbean, only 5% of professionals claim to work in a place with well-being initiatives. From a more technological and futuristic point of view, what we see on the horizon is the possibility of automating about 1/3 of all the tasks we perform as workers today. If, on one hand, we question the hustle cultureregarding the relationship between working hours and productivity, we still have billionaires like Jack Ma of Alibaba arguing that workdays should be extended to 12 hours a day.

Before we even talk about sustainability in the supply chain, we need to talk about the social sustainability in which companies and industries are involved. If smarter, renewable, and sustainable materials can be created to solve the problem of consumer goods, why couldn't we find ways to also make work and the work environment more flexible and sustainable for workers? Why don't we question certain "truths" or stereotypes that are harmful to different workers and, ultimately, to the people occupying these roles? And this ranges from gender issues (for example, when we think of secretaries and automatically connect the job to women) to the mental health involved in the profession and the stereotypes it needs to fulfill (did you know that 77% of nutrition students were diagnosed with an eating disorder in 2012?).

A first step being taken by HR departments is the encouragement of employee wellness programs and the promotion of mandatory routine check-ups. On the other hand, some companies, including in Brazil, are already testing new work schedules—such as Unilever, which is testing a 3-day work week. More and more professionals have also adopted working from home as a method, learning to manage their time and mental health in a more pleasant environment than corporate offices or even co-working spaces— which, despite being trendy, are neither productive nor pleasant, even with free beer.

Perhaps we need more whistleblowing, perhaps we need more information. Perhaps we need to pay more attention to the behind-the-scenes of professions so that we are not surprised by a death resulting from work-related problems—whether sudden or suicide. The act of boycotting a certain brand may be a stance of opposition and protest against this system, but we also need to pay attention to our surroundings and recognize if we, as business owners, are acting correctly toward our employees beyond just complying with labor laws, but by looking at the other as an individual and not as a cog in the machine. Likewise, as employees and freelancers, we also have to notice to what extent our work is burning us out and recognize the signs our body gives—and if thinking about the health of others isn't enough of an argument, Professor Jeffrey Pfeffer warns: for companies, the indirect costs resulting from employee disengagement, demotivation, and presenteeism can be up to five times higher than the amount of direct medical expenses.

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