Is your high-flying job making you sick?

Survey says 85% of private sector workers have lifestyle diseases, while only 8% government office-goers do.

It's not breaking news that most office-goers suffer from lifestyle diseases. But a new survey highlights just how stark the differences are between the health of private sector employees and those who work in sarkari offices.

85% afflicted
The difference between a corporate professional and his government counterpart isn't in just how much salary they draw, but also in how healthy they are. According to a national survey by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India ( ASSOCHAM), "Due to demanding schedules, high stress levels and performance-linked perquisites in the private sector, nearly 85% of employees are afflicted with lifestyle, chronic diseases and acute ailments, while government employees range below 8%."

Same work profile, different work hours
IT consultant Akshay Verma, 24, deals with foreign clients, and so his timings are never fixed. He says, "Before joining this consultancy job, I had no health issues. But in the last six months, I've developed spondylitis. I sit at my workstation for more than 12, and at times, 16 hours, per day."

However, Praveen Sahay, 32, who is also an IT consultant but deals with a government enterprise, says, "My client's an Indian bank, so my work life isn't hectic at all. Mine are proper sarkari office timings. I don't have to work after 6pm. After going home, I sometimes help my wife in the kitchen to make her happy."

The young and the sick
Sumit Arora, 26, a web developer, says, "I've developed carpal tunnel syndrome, which happens when the movement of the hand is limited. I sit in front of the computer all day." Pratik Kumar, 27, a chartered accountant, has developed a dry eye because of long computer hours. "I use eye drops, but the damage is done," says he.

All work, no play
There is no life outside work for Rahul Nishant, 30, a sales manager at an FMCG company. To achieve monthly targets, he sometimes has to work on Sundays. He says, "I just married a computer engineer. Sometimes, I work on Sundays, and if I'm home before 9pm, I have to make excel sheets and PPTs for a morning meeting. I hardly get any quality time to spend with my wife. It is usually at dinner that we talk. She taunts me that I shouldn't have married her, but the excel sheets and PPTs. I've also got high BP because of work tension."

Kapil Deo (name changed), 35, works as an R&D manager in an automobile company. He's called to office at 1am quite often. "Once you get into a private company, they act like they own you. I often get calls at midnight to be in office because machines are not responding properly. I've become an insomniac. I don't get time to play with my kid. She waits for Sundays as that's the only day I'm available for her."

But Shibani Rai, a bank PO, says, "It's not that government employees don't work. They are not overloaded. They're not understaffed, so work is distributed equally. The only time when I'm really busy is March and April. We have the closing, and after that, audits happen. So, for two months, my routine is rather busy, but otherwise, I leave for home by 7pm. If I have to meet my relatives or have to shop, I don't have to wait till Sunday like many of my friends."