CEO shares harrowing tale of friend hospitalised after 14-20 hour workdays: 'You are replaceable at work, not at home'

Tobi Oluwole, CEO of Magnate, a Canada-based holding company focused on building and investing in profitable businesses, recently took to LinkedIn to share a concerning story about a friend. After enduring 3-4 months of relentless 14-20 hour workdays, his friend has ended up in the hospital multiple times due to severe stress. This holds much relevance in India too, in the light of the recent debates on work-life balance (or the lack of it).

Oluwole reveals, "One of my friends keeps ending up in the hospital. His job requires him to work 14-20 hours a day. For 3¨C4 months at a time. At first, I thought he was exaggerating. But I still get text messages from him sometimes at 2am while he is still working!"

He shares that just a few weeks ago, his friend found himself in the hospital again due to stress.

"I've spent the last few weeks convincing him to find a new role before his body completely gives up on him," Oluwole adds.

"It's hard to live a fulfilling life when work is all-consuming. It¡¯s even harder to live a healthy life when you are not sleeping and eating properly. Your relationships, body and mental health all pay the price," he emphasises. "You are replaceable at work. You are not replaceable at home."

Federico Ferrari, a corporate real estate expert based in Argentina, echoed Oluwole¡¯s sentiments, posting on LinkedIn: "How often we forget about our most important priorities. In my country Argentina, there's a saying which goes like this: "You work to earn for a living, but you live for working."

This issue resonates even more profoundly in India, especially after the tragic case of Anna Sebastian Perayil, a 26-year-old EY Pune employee who lost her life in July due to alleged overwork, according to her mother.

Credit: BCCL | Anna Sebastian Perayil

This incident had sparked a nationwide conversation about toxic work culture and the critical need for work-life balance.

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