Live 2 Work, 2 Die - Asia waiting to 'Explode'

‘She ignored sleep so much that the latter embraced her forever.'

This became unfortunately true for Mita, the young copywriter who died after 30 hours of continuous work, with no sleep. A professional working for Young & Rubicam, an ad agency owned by international powerhouse WPP at Jakarta, would often work with no regard for sleep or rest. Her final tweets that later became a chilling countdown to her death are an evidence of her extreme work behavior.

Mita Diran, 24, collapsed to the floor and slipped into a coma last Sunday after weeks of sleeping little and downing energy drinks just to keep going. 

Mita’s case brings back the memories of Karoshi – a term coined in Japan as early as 1980s of a price for prosperity that people are paying with their lives.

Audrey Tsui’s seminal work on the cost of prosperity in Asia stands-out as a study that clearly proves that Mita Diran’s case is not an isolated incident.

The findings clearly indicate that there is something hugely wrong with the way people are juggling their work and lives-

“The rising prosperity of Asia's growing economies has drawn adverse consequences on employee wellness and the work-life balance of many people. Intensified global competition and the expanding wealth gaps in Asia induce stress and create tension. Long working hours, excessive workload, weekend duties, inadequate physical activity and an unhealthy lifestyle are often cited as the key sources of chronic fatigue and work stress. Mounting incidents of occupational illnesses/accidents, and the growing number of Karoshi and suicides among prime-aged working adults further raise concerns regarding individuals' health awareness and corporate effectiveness in employee wellness management.”

Back in India a recent bus accident that killed 45 people on board, the inquiry revealed that accident occurred since the driver was overworked and under slept. During festival season when demand for omnibuses increase in India, drivers often do extra-trips for long distances with little or no break. The recent tragedy was avoidable had the driver not been forced to make three trips between Chennai and Theni, a distance of more than 500km, with just a five-hour break.

Despite these incidents, Asia continues to work in a pressure cooker, waiting to explode any moment.

After all what are we working for? Forget it no one has time to think that… So dump the thought and live to work to die…literally!