More Than Half Of Americans Work In Dangerous, Unpleasant Jobs: Study

SANTA MONICA (CBSLA.com) -- For many people, Monday means back to work - and a return to a physically and emotionally taxing work environment with unpleasant and often hazardous conditions, according to a new study.

More than one in four U.S. workers say they have too little time to do their job, with about half saying they perform at least some job duties in their free time to keep up with workplace demands, researchers with the American Working Conditions Survey found.

The 2015 study by the nonprofit RAND Corp., Harvard Medical School and UCLA also found that two-thirds of Americans frequently work too fast or facing tight deadlines. About a quarter say they don't have enough time to complete their job duties.

When it comes to work environments, a slight majority of workers report facing unpleasant
and potentially hazardous working conditions, and about 20 percent say they are exposed to a hostile or threatening social environment at work.

Some other interesting findings:

• Four out of five American workers report that their job met at least one definition of "meaningful" always or most of the time;
• 80 percent of worker have steady and predictable work throughout the year; and
• Nearly three-fourths of Americans report either intense or repetitive physical exertion on the job at least one-quarter of the time.

Perhaps the most discouraging finding from the study: more than 60 percent of workers believe their job doesn't offer good prospects for advancement.

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(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)