Overwork and nursing
Jennifer Cohen, BSc Soc, MA (Pol), MA (Econ), PhD (Econ)
Society, Work & Development Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
Stress and overwork are top health stress, both physical and mental, than impact the worker at home or ‘home-
and safety concerns for nurses, who male workers due to unpaid household work conflict’ in which home-based
also report that such concerns influence work and care work.[4] Care work stresses impact the person at work.[4-6]
their decisions to remain in the nursing entails unique physical, emotional and According to this research, individuals
profession.[1] Nursing is known to be an psychological demands, whether or have experiences that connect their
extraordinarily stressful occupation.[2,3] not it is performed for pay. For women workplaces and their homes even
Unlike in other professions, stress in in paid care work such as nursing, the though they may not perceive a conflict
nursing is assumed to be present. focus of this piece, stress from overwork between the demands of paid work
can come from the workload in the and unpaid work.
Workload and stress workplace, at home, or a combination
of the two. Consider the case of overwork as a
For nurses, the word ‘stress’ describes cause of stress. Nurses tend to feel
a mix of unpleasant situations and Research on occupational stress often overworked, but ‘overwork’ is not merely
unpleasant inner personal experi- focuses on workplace stress alone, a workplace-based phenomenon,
ences.[3] Stress may come from as if the workplace and home are particularly for women. Nurses have
high workloads; staff shortages, distinct and unrelated.[5] Implicit in this a heavy workload, consisting both of
which contribute to overwork; and approach is an understanding of the paid and unpaid work, and often feel
a perceived lack of support from workplace and home as ‘separate fatigued, overwhelmed and stressed
colleagues, management and hospital spheres,’ dividing the economy into out as a result. Paid work includes
administration. But workload-related a public sphere and a private sphere the hours of activity for which nurses
stress may also come from outside of the and the life of the worker into a work- receive pay. Unpaid work consists of
workplace, namely from the household. life and a home-life. However, some the hands-on work of child-, self- and
This often differs for women and men: research emphasises ‘work-home con- eldercare, in addition to household
women workers tend to have more flict’ in which work-based stresses work like cooking and cleaning. The
HIV Nursing Matters | June 2016 | page 12
Jennifer Cohen, BSc Soc, MA (Pol), MA (Econ), PhD (Econ)
Society, Work & Development Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
Stress and overwork are top health stress, both physical and mental, than impact the worker at home or ‘home-
and safety concerns for nurses, who male workers due to unpaid household work conflict’ in which home-based
also report that such concerns influence work and care work.[4] Care work stresses impact the person at work.[4-6]
their decisions to remain in the nursing entails unique physical, emotional and According to this research, individuals
profession.[1] Nursing is known to be an psychological demands, whether or have experiences that connect their
extraordinarily stressful occupation.[2,3] not it is performed for pay. For women workplaces and their homes even
Unlike in other professions, stress in in paid care work such as nursing, the though they may not perceive a conflict
nursing is assumed to be present. focus of this piece, stress from overwork between the demands of paid work
can come from the workload in the and unpaid work.
Workload and stress workplace, at home, or a combination
of the two. Consider the case of overwork as a
For nurses, the word ‘stress’ describes cause of stress. Nurses tend to feel
a mix of unpleasant situations and Research on occupational stress often overworked, but ‘overwork’ is not merely
unpleasant inner personal experi- focuses on workplace stress alone, a workplace-based phenomenon,
ences.[3] Stress may come from as if the workplace and home are particularly for women. Nurses have
high workloads; staff shortages, distinct and unrelated.[5] Implicit in this a heavy workload, consisting both of
which contribute to overwork; and approach is an understanding of the paid and unpaid work, and often feel
a perceived lack of support from workplace and home as ‘separate fatigued, overwhelmed and stressed
colleagues, management and hospital spheres,’ dividing the economy into out as a result. Paid work includes
administration. But workload-related a public sphere and a private sphere the hours of activity for which nurses
stress may also come from outside of the and the life of the worker into a work- receive pay. Unpaid work consists of
workplace, namely from the household. life and a home-life. However, some the hands-on work of child-, self- and
This often differs for women and men: research emphasises ‘work-home con- eldercare, in addition to household
women workers tend to have more flict’ in which work-based stresses work like cooking and cleaning. The
HIV Nursing Matters | June 2016 | page 12
