As a psychiatrist, I regularly witness how deeply workplace culture shapes the mental health of my patients. While ambition and dedication are often celebrated, the cost of long hours, high pressure, and toxic work environments is far too frequently overlooked. In reality, many of the symptoms I treat—depression, anxiety, insomnia—stem from unhealthy workplace norms. The irony? These issues don’t just harm individuals; they erode productivity and profitability for companies as well.
The Mental Health Toll of Long Work Hours
Research consistently shows that working beyond 40 hours per week is linked to worsened mental and physical health. A systematic review published in The Lancet found that people working 55 hours or more per week had a 33% higher risk of stroke and a 13% greater risk of coronary heart disease compared to those working standard hours【1】.
From a psychiatric perspective, long work hours disrupt sleep, increase cortisol (the stress hormone), and diminish opportunities for restorative activities like exercise and socializing. This chronic imbalance often leads to:
Insomnia: Reduced sleep quality worsens attention, mood, and decision-making.
Depression and anxiety: Heightened stress and diminished personal time fuel emotional burnout.
Impaired cognition: Fatigue hampers focus, creativity, and efficiency.
A Stanford University study found that productivity sharply declines when people work more than 50 hours per week, and drops off so significantly after 55 hours that working more becomes essentially useless【2】.
The High Price of a Toxic Work Culture
While overwork can erode mental health, an unsupportive or toxic work culture amplifies the problem. Toxic environments often feature poor communication, lack of psychological safety, discrimination, unrealistic expectations, and punishment for vulnerability.
In 2022, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a framework for mental health and well-being in the workplace, emphasizing that toxic workplaces contribute to poor mental health outcomes and high turnover【3】. Similarly, a report by MIT Sloan Management Review found that a toxic culture was 10 times more predictive of attrition than compensation【4】.
Toxicity doesn’t just lead to burnout—it drains companies financially:
High turnover rates raise recruitment and training costs.
Disengaged employees are 18% less productive, according to Gallup【5】.
Mental health issues contribute to over $200 billion annually in lost productivity in the U.S.【6】
Companies That Care—and Profit From It
Some companies have embraced a culture of employee well-being and seen substantial financial and operational benefits.
1. Salesforce
Salesforce consistently ranks among the top companies for employee satisfaction. It offers generous mental health benefits, flexible work arrangements, and promotes equity and inclusion. The result? Low turnover and sustained revenue growth—over $30 billion in revenue in 2023, up from $21 billion in 2021【7】.
2. Patagonia
Known for its eco-conscious brand, Patagonia encourages employees to take time off, provides on-site child care, and closes for holidays to encourage rest. Their retention rates are among the highest in retail, and their revenue continues to rise despite their non-traditional approach【8】.
3. Chick-fil-A
Some franchise locations offer a three-day workweek for managers, finding that it improves work-life balance and attracts high-quality applicants. As a result, these locations often outperform others in both employee satisfaction and profitability【9】.
Final Thoughts
As a psychiatrist, I see the toll that harmful work culture takes on individuals every day. And as a business leader, I see how that toll translates into lost productivity, creativity, and revenue. Work culture isn’t just a “soft” factor—it’s a vital determinant of both mental health and economic outcomes.
Companies that invest in psychological safety, reasonable workloads, and supportive environments aren’t just doing the right thing for their teams—they’re also securing their bottom line.
References
The Lancet (2021). Long working hours and risk of cardiovascular disease. https://www.thelancet.com/article/S0140-6736(21)01140-4/fulltext
Stanford University. Working long hours leads to diminishing returns. https://siepr.stanford.edu/publications/working-paper/working-long-hours
U.S. Surgeon General (2022). Framework for Mental Health & Well-Being in the Workplace. https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/priorities/workplace-well-being/index.html
MIT Sloan Management Review (2022). Toxic Culture Is Driving the Great Resignation. https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/toxic-culture-is-driving-the-great-resignation/
Gallup (2022). State of the Global Workplace. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx
National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions (2021). Mental Health and Productivity.
Salesforce Financial Reports. https://investor.salesforce.com/financials/default.aspx
Harvard Business Review. Patagonia’s Workplace Culture. https://hbr.org/2018/01/inside-patagonias-strategy-to-keep-its-employees-engaged
Washington Post. The three-day workweek experiment at Chick-fil-A. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/01/09/chickfila-three-day-workweek/
