83.9 percent of the respondents said their health had worsened since they started their current job. (image: Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, Aug. 6 (Korea Bizwire) — More than 80 percent of office workers experience health problems after starting work, according to a recent survey.
The results can be interpreted as an indication that even healthy individuals get sick once they start work.
According to the survey of 671 office workers conducted by the job portal Incruit, 83.9 percent of the respondents said their health had worsened since they started their current job.
The figure includes 44 percent of respondents who said they experienced “definite signs of health problems” and 39.9 percent who said they experienced “some signs of health problems.”
Stress induced mental illness topped the list of reasons for work-related disorders, accounting for 18.9 percent.
In fact, 2 out of 10 office workers complained of depression, mental or emotional disorders as a result of repressed anger or stress, insomnia and chronic fatigue.
Second was chronic indigestion, stomach ulcers and other digestive problems, accounting for 16 percent, followed by “burnout syndrome” – lethargy experienced after intensive work – at 12.6 percent.
Lack of exercise accounted for 19 percent and was the main cause for such health disorders when self-reported by workers.
Next on the list of causes were bullying and stress, which accounted for 15.8 percent. This indicates the severity of bullying and harassment in the workplace as well as the overuse of power among superiors.
When analyzing the results by age, 87.7 percent of those in their 40s showed the most symptoms of health disorders, while 84.7 percent of those in their 20s and 83.4 percent of those in their 30s also showed signs of health disorders.
In terms of gender, the ratio of women was higher than that of men, as they accounted for 87.5 percent and 79.7 percent, respectively.
“South Korean workers suffer from a variety of diseases ranging from mild discomfort to severe disorders,” Incruit reported. “Office workers were a walking general hospital and needed constant care.”
D. M. Park (dmpark@koreabizwire.com)
