In the US, it's common for people to speak with pride about their stressful jobs and long hours put in at work. Studies even show that American employees in the US tend to work longer, take fewer vacations, and socialize less on the job.
But according to a new study from researchers at the City University of London, working too hard can have a negative effect on your career and your overall well-being, as The Cut reported.
Researchers looked at the effects of overtime work and "work intensity," or the effort put into work in a certain time period, on both overall well-being (stress, fatigue, and job satisfaction) and career outcomes (career prospects, job security, and recognition). Their data came from 51,895 employees from 36 European countries in a variety of industries.
"We were somewhat surprised to find that work effort, whether overtime or work intensity, did not predict any positive outcomes for employees," Dr. Argyro Avgoustaki, assistant professor of management at ESCP Europe Business School and Dr. Hans Frankort, senior lecturer in strategy at Cass Business School, the authors of the study, told INSIDER in a joint email.
In fact, more work effort predicted reduced well-being and career-related outcomes.