Evolution of Tech Jobs and change in lifestyle
New technology and economic progress did not always increase the well-being of the people. Karl Marx had said that alienation is a direct result of Capitalism. According to Marx, it is vital to establish a relationship between man and his environment. He believed that problems and discomfort of individuals were not always due to personal problems but due to the society in which they are, living. He accurately predicted this phenomenon in the middle of the 19th century. Consequently, the beginning of the 21st century saw the invention of technology, which revolutionized a section of generation, beginning from what we call the Millennials followed by Gen Z. The invention of Tech made our lives easier, from Emailing, E-commerce Websites, Social networking, Banking, to ordering food online including the job market, which popularized the desk job phenomenon, this optimized time and minimized space. While the invention of tech gave us immense opportunities, it also affected our lifestyles. And by lifestyle, I mean health. Obviously, the nature of any tech job or other related jobs demands long hours or irregular duration of work, unlike the standard jobs which usually get over within the 10–6 time framework.
Apart from other repercussions, such as work-life balance, environment, pay parity, benefits, etc. Health is heavy price individuals are paying. And, by that, I mean not just problems like backaches or carpal tunnel syndrome or other ergonomic issues, etc. But, serious long-term complications are likely to occur. Since IT, jobs require long hours of sitting, which is 9 hours maximum and usually extend depending upon the demand and nature of work. We hardly get any time to walk or exercise. Prolonged periods of sitting have become a problem for the people of today’s generation. Forget about not spending your time on other activities since we all have been greatly addicted to our phones, exercise is the bare minimum one needs to do for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Research Studies on the Impact of Tech Jobs on Health
Several research studies have shown the correlation between job satisfaction levels and health. For example, a research study conducted by the University of Manchester. Which includes a review of 485 studies and a combined sample size of 267995 individuals. After evaluating, the results displayed a link between job satisfaction and mental and physical health, the findings of the research suggest, “Job satisfaction is an important factor influencing the health of the employees; and that companies should include and develop stress management policies to eradicate work practices that cause the most dissatisfaction”. It also further suggests that “ Occupational health clinicians should consider counseling employees diagnosed as having psychological problems to critically evaluate their work — and help them to explore ways of gaining greater satisfaction from this important aspect of their life”. It concludes that “Risk assessments of stress in the workplace should attempt to pinpoint those aspects of work that are causing most dissatisfaction among employees (for example, hours of work, organizational management style, workload, work control/autonomy, etc.) as these are likely to be also the factors causing raised levels of stress”.
In another study published in NCIB particularly focusing on the Indian IT industry, the researchers collected data from 1000 IT employees in Chennai. The results indicate, “56% had musculoskeletal issues, 22% were diagnosed with hypertension, 54% had depression, anxiety, and insomnia, 40% had obesity, 10% had diabetes and 36% had dyslipidemia. The stress score was higher in employees who developed diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and obesity”. According to the findings, more men than women have health issues.
Technostress is a modern term used to explain the phenomenon of stress caused due to the usage of computers, and its inability to cope with new computer technologies healthily. Many such studies, done previously and the ones being done, found out that stress is directly linked with coronary heart disease and metabolic syndrome. Occupational stress has become a growing cause for concern and a major issue. Whether we acknowledge this fact or not, this has become our reality. The main drivers behind this stress are the nature of jobs and feelings of insecurity regarding future working conditions, outdated skills, etc.
It is unfortunate to have repercussions like this. With the grueling nature of work and the kind of demands made upon employees by companies. It’s depressing as well as ironic to think about the fact that we need these very jobs to meet our ends. We millennials have been running to strike a balance between survival to meet ends and have a balanced lifestyle at the same time. Most of us may not comprehend these issues early in life since we all are still young, but once we hit 40, we may slowly start to notice its impact on our health.
An Illusion given by the Government
Work hour reduction in private organizations is the first step towards an employee’s well-being. Recently the government of India came up with 4 day work week initiative to ensure a better work-life balance. However, the total working hours remain unchanged. This does not seem a practical approach in solving the work hour reduction, it rather suggests that employees should put in a total of 48 hours of work in a week, which means that they would be expected to work 10–15 hours a day instead of the usual 8–9 hours per day. This is merely an illusion prescribed by companies that employees can work with flexibility experienced in the case of the Covid19 pandemic. If this is going to be the norm then the employees should be paid extra for overtime. The idea here is to reduce the number of working hours in a day instead of days. Numerous studies suggest that countries with the highest number of working hours have the lowest employee productivity while those with the shortest hours are the most productive. India is still under the traditional mindset that the more you work the more productive you are. The 4 day work week has come under intense criticism by employees that this will impact employee engagement, work-life balance, and overall productivity and that focus should be on reducing the number of hours and not days.
Indicator of Change
Although it may appear that these initiatives will be in place for a limited period of time, it is an indication that they will become permanent once implemented. Despite the justifications given by the government and corporates, that such measures are required to kickstart the economy, attract investment and create employment, the fact is that they can harm and violate the rights of the employees. Labour laws are human rights and such measures are taking the clock back to over a century. Or, this could also become a culmination of change interms of a gradual shift in the work style, culture, and mental health awareness.
