Corporate Life & Mental Health

The Strain:

We all know the corporate world in India is demanding. Long hours, irregular shifts, tight deadlines, and constant pressure are seen as a part of climbing the ladder. But what's the real cost of this hustle? The data is increasingly showing a clear link between our work habits and our mental well-being.

The Trap:

It's not just about feeling tired after a long day. Studies reveal that consistently putting in extra hours is taking a serious toll on the mental health of Indian professionals.

• Nearly half of corporate employees (48%) in India are struggling with mental health issues. This is a significant number that demands our attention.

• Working over 45 hours a week puts you at a higher risk of poor mental health. Many of us easily cross this mark, and for some, it's significantly more.

• Spending 12 or more hours a day at your desk can drastically lower your mental well-being score. People in this situation report struggling or distressed mental health, with scores significantly lower than those with shorter desk hours.

• The Economic Survey 2024-25 even highlighted that working over 60 hours a week can have "adverse health effects," urging a shift in focus from mere hours to quality of work and productivity. Some business leaders have even pushed for 70–90-hour work weeks, which many experts and employees are calling out as a recipe for burnout, not success.

• A recent study even found that working over 52 hours a week might change your brain structure, particularly in areas related to memory, emotions, and decision-making. While more research is needed, it's a stark reminder of the physical impact of overwork.

• When employees feel overburdened by current work structures, with disrupted work-life balance, it's a staggering 66%. This shows a huge chunk of our workforce is struggling to juggle work and personal life effectively.

The Late Nights:

Our bodies are naturally wired for a day-night cycle and disrupting that can have significant consequences. Unfortunately, most companies offer pay extra so that people forget about their health and work late night shifts.

• In a study of healthcare workers in Chennai, 26.7% experienced stress, 33.3% had anxiety, and 26.7% reported depression among those working night shifts. While this specific study focused on healthcare, the underlying mechanisms of disrupted sleep and circadian rhythms apply to any sector with night shifts, like IT and BPO.

• 10-20% of the Indian workforce is engaged in night shifts, across various sectors including healthcare, IT, and manufacturing. This highlights the widespread nature of this issue.

• Research among IT professionals in Puducherry found that 100% of night shift workers had "poor sleep quality." Poor sleep is a direct pathway to increased mental health issues.

• Night shifts can disrupt our body's natural sleep-wake cycles, hormone regulation, and overall health, leading to increased risk of stress, anxiety, and depression.

Unneeded Stress:

Beyond the quantifiable hours, the human element within the workplace can be deeply corrosive to mental health. This often overlooked "toxic culture" is a major contributor to employee distress.

• Around 55% of Indian employees report experiencing some form of harassment at work, with mental harassment accounting for a substantial portion. This is not just a nuisance; it's a significant stressor.
• Office politics, which includes favoritism, exclusion, manipulation, sarcasm, and constant criticism, can lead to serious mental health issues like low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, insomnia, stress, and self-doubt. It can make a person feel like they are "always walking on eggshells." On a personal level, I’ve been through this recently and started believing that I suffer from anger issues until I moved to a different desk.

• When a workplace is characterized by micromanagement, excessive pressure, and workplace harassment or bullying, it creates a hostile environment that significantly impacts employees' mental health.

• A staggering 80% of Indian employees reported experiencing mental health concerns in 2021 (a pandemic year), and nearly 50% considered workplace stress as the biggest factor impacting their mental health. While work hours contribute, a significant part of this stress comes from interpersonal dynamics.

• Toxic work environments are often defined by excessive workloads, lack of support, poor communication, and a fear-based management style. These environments contribute to chronic stress, burnout, anxiety, and depression.

• Many employees report feeling trapped in their roles, fearing repercussions if they voice concerns or seek help. This fear can stem directly from the behavior of managers and superiors who may resort to intimidation, public shaming, or even isolating employees.

The Impact:

These statistics aren't just figures; they represent real people experiencing real struggles. The adverse effects of these demanding work patterns include:

• Increased stress and anxiety: The constant pressure and lack of adequate rest create a breeding ground for these common mental health challenges.
• Burnout: Feeling emotionally and physically exhausted from prolonged stress. A study showed over 55% of employees reported being emotionally exhausted or burnt out.
• Sleep issues: Difficulty falling or staying asleep is a common complaint, with over 50% of employees reporting this.
• Reduced productivity and focus: Ironically, working more can lead to less effective work as mental health declines.
• Impact on personal life: Mental health issues at work often spill over into home life, affecting relationships and overall happiness.
• Higher absenteeism and "presenteeism": People might take more sick days, or worse, show up to work physically but be mentally disengaged and unproductive.

The Consequences:

While specific, direct links are complex, several recent high-profile cases have highlighted the devastating toll of work-related mental health struggles in India:

• Anna Sebastian Perayil (EY Pune): In late 2024, the tragic death of 26-year-old Anna Sebastian Perayil, an employee at EY Pune, sparked widespread outrage. Her mother penned a heartfelt letter alleging that Anna succumbed to "work stress" just four months into her tenure. The letter detailed immense pressure, an overwhelming workload, and a lack of support, leading to her mental and physical decline. This incident led to a government investigation into work-related stress in corporate settings. Funny part is that Cognizant increased their work hours by an hour around the same time.

• Nikhil Somwanshi (Ola Krutrim): In May 2025, Nikhil Somwanshi, a young machine learning engineer at Ola's AI unit, Krutrim, reportedly died by suicide. A colleague widely circulated social media posts alleged "extreme work pressure" and a toxic environment, stating that Nikhil was burdened with the workload of multiple people after team members left, and faced verbal abuse from a senior manager. Ola stated he was on personal leave, but the incident fuelled further debate on corporate work culture. Unfortunately, the corporate system continued working the same way.

• Tarun Saxena (Bajaj Finance): In late 2024, a 42-year-old worker at Bajaj Finance died by suicide, leaving a note citing "unbearable work pressure and mental torture by his seniors." He reportedly detailed struggles to meet recovery targets despite his efforts and the humiliation he faced. Most people might not even know of this case.

• Karthikeyan (Software Engineer, Tamil Nadu): Around the same time as the Bajaj Finance case, a software engineer in Tamil Nadu reportedly electrocuted himself after facing "depression due to work pressure." The sad part about all this is the fact that we all talk about it for a while but continue to work the same way despite such cases coming up every day.

These are not isolated incidents but stark reminders that the relentless demands, toxic environments, and lack of support can push individuals to their breaking point. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data for 2021 indicated that approximately 50 people in India are believed to die by suicide every week due to career or workplace problems.

Is there a Solution? Maybe...

While most people are hopeless and the picture might seem grim, there's growing awareness for change in Corporate India. Companies are slowly starting to prioritize mental well-being, but it needs to be a collective effort.

• Open conversations: Breaking the stigma around mental health is crucial. We celebrate mental health only for months and days. It’s time we celebrate it every day. It’s time we talk about it openly. It’s time we get help when we need it.

• Prioritizing work-life balance: Encouraging regular breaks, reasonable working hours, and flexible arrangements. Corporate employees need to be given time for their families, hobbies and art.

• Support systems: Providing access to counselling, Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), and mental health days. Companies need to ensure robust and confidential grievance redressal mechanisms for harassment and misbehavior. There should be at least one Mental health spoc in every project in every company. Every corporate building must have at least one qualified counsellor who could be available for the employees.

• Leadership buy-in: Senior leaders setting an example and genuinely investing in employee well-being, fostering a culture of respect, empathy, and accountability. This includes actively addressing and penalizing instances of harassment and bullying.

• Training for managers: Equipping managers with skills to identify signs of distress, handle difficult conversations, and promote a supportive team environment.

It's time we move beyond the notion of long hour’s equal dedication and recognize that a mentally healthy workforce is a productive and sustainable one. I hope that someday, at least one company in India champions a corporate culture that values well-being as much as it values growth.