Job Insecurity Takes Major Toll on Worker Health

[deadparrot]

MONDAY, April 3 (HealthDay News) -- Job insecurity can have a major impact on the health of American workers, says a University of Michigan study.

Feeling insecure about your job harms both mental and physical health -- whether you actually lose your job or not. The toll taken by job insecurity can be as great as a serious or life-threatening illness, the study said.

Researchers analyzed information from more than 1,000 men and women, under age 60, who underwent two interviews, about three years apart. About 25 percent of the people in the study reported feeling insecure about their jobs in at least one of the two interviews.

People who said they felt insecure about their jobs had much lower self-rated health. They were about twice as likely to report physical health that was less than very good or excellent than workers who expressed feelings of job security at both interviews.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20060403/hl_hsn/jobinsecuritytakesmajortollonworkerhealth

[AnneD]

1. And unemployment isn't too good for your health either

Is this the same University that has been saying how high the consumer confidence level is?

[KurtNYC]

2. "self-rated health" ?!

Why not use a more objective measure?

It seems possible that people who worry a lot about their job may also worry a lot about their health. They may just worry about everything. I would be more convinced by a study that looked for ACTUAL health effects.

[BiggJawn]

3. Constant re-orgs.

My department has been re-organized no less than 7 times in the last 6 years. We keep getting stuck under over-paid idiot VP's who have NO clue what it is we do, and don't seem to want to get to know us.

So we get bounced from org-to-org like some ugly foster child. It's gotten to the point that when our immediate boss brings us together he starts off by saying "Nobody's losing their job...".

I used to LOVE what I do, now I can hardly get my ass out the door in the morning. We had "Diversity Training" today, and I put down on the feedback sheet that I wished I could have the 2 hours of my life back.

I'm just waiting for my doctor to propose "hooking me up and plugging me in" since pills don't seem to be helping.I don't CARE anymore! I'm TIRED! I'm too tired to exercise, I'm too tired to eat right, I'm getting fatter when I should be losing this lard...
My diabetes and high blood pressure are under control, though. They SHOULD be, as much Pharma products as i gobble every day....

My therapist didn't know what to say to my suggestion that perhaps my life really *DOES* suck.