The cult of overwork
CNN asked 12 well-known leaders including Carlos Ghosn of Nissan, Marissa Mayer of Google and Wynton Marsalis how they manage their time and stay efficient.
My favorite answer is this one:
I know that it’s de rigeur for executives to start the day extremely early, but frankly I feel I make better decisions and relate better to people when I’m well rested. So I usually get up around 8 after a good night’s sleep.
I also make sure to work a standard 40-hour week and never work in the weekends. This is important to me for two reasons. First of all, I have a life outside of work. I have a family who likes to have me around and friends and hobbies that I also want to have time for. I find that the time I spend outside of work recharges my batteries, expands my horizons and actually makes me more efficient at work.
Secondly, if I’m always seen arriving at the office at 6 in the morning and leaving at 9 in the evening, not to mention taking calls and writing emails late at night and all weekend, it’s sure to send a signal to my employees that this is what the company expects, that this is “the right way”. But it isn’t.
It’s a simple fact that for most leaders and employees, the first 40 hours they work each week are worth much more to the company than the next 20, 30 or 40 hours. But those extra hours spent at work can harm your private life, your family and your health. Which in turn becomes damaging to the company.
Frankly, if you can’t structure your time so your work fits inside a 40-hour week, you need to get better at prioritizing and delegating.
Refreshing words. Guess which of the executives said that?
Come on, take a guess!
NONE OF THEM! Not one.
Instead, there’s a lot of “I get up at 5 and arrive at the office at 6″ and “I work 16 hours a day” and “I take a lot of calls on the drive in to the office” and “I usually leave the office at 7 and then work a few more hours in the evening at home.”
I fully expected one of them to go “I get up at 4 in the morning, half an hour before I go to bed, and work a 27-hour day, only stopping for a 3-minute lunch break in which two assistants stuff food down my throat like a foie-gras goose.”
I know it’s normal to view people working this hard as heroes of the organization. And I’m sure they know what they’re doing and have structured their life according to what works best for them.
But still I think they would be more efficient and enjoy life more if they cut down their time at work. They may find that they become more open, less stressed, have more fun AND are better role models for their employees. This cult of overwork has got to stop.
Some of them do great stuff too. Marissa Mayer of Google sits in her office every day from 4 to 5:30 ready to answer any question from employees. There’s a sign-up sheet on the door and couches and laptop-power for the people waiting to see her.
Bill Gross of Pimco leaves the office every day at 8:30AM for a 90-minute work-out and yoga session.
That’s great stuff and we need more of that, but the school of “work your butt off, everything else comes second” is bad for business and bad for people. Can we please retire this tired idea once and for all?
If you liked this post, I think you’ll also enjoy these:
sonitus.org » Blog Archive » The cult of overwork Said,
April 18, 2006 @ 11:13 am
[...] Positive Sharing [...]
Positive Sharing » The cult of overwork (again) Said,
April 20, 2006 @ 8:46 am
[...] The cult of overwork is the prevailing belief that the more hours people work, the better for the company. That notion is not only harmful, it is dead wrong, as this story from Arlie Hochschild’s book The Time Bind demonstrates. One executive, Doug Strain, the vice chairman of ESI, a computer company in Portland Oregon, saw the link between reduced hours for some and more jobs for others. At a 1990 focus group for CEOs and managers, he volunteered the following story: [...]
Jodee Bock Said,
April 21, 2006 @ 2:58 am
I think it’s starting to S-L-O-W-L-Y shift … at least I’m seeing some of the shift here in my hometown of Fargo, North Dakota.
One of my best friends, a former bank executive who owned her own financial planning business for 6 years, recently rejoined a bank because they promised her an opportunity to set her own hours and have a bigger impact on the world. She took the opportunity and has been working far fewer hours, making a far greater impact … but it’s not where she may have expected. Her impact is being felt most with her kids – and also with her co-workers. They seek her out as a haven in a busy world … and her new employer realizes that, on some level. It’s an intuitive thing, but it’s manifesting itself in results. I’m very encouraged.
Alexander Kjerulf Said,
April 21, 2006 @ 10:33 am
That’s it Jodee! What your friend is doing, is it exactly!
I think you’re right and we are starting to see a shift – the increased focus on work-life balance is an example of this.
Do you think your friend can be persuaded to tell her story? I’m sure there are many stories like this, and the more they’re told, the better.
Jodee Bock Said,
April 21, 2006 @ 2:43 pm
I will find out if she’s ready to tell her story yet. Right now (it’s been about 5 months at this position) she’s still kind of shell-shocked that a bank would allow her the flexibility she enjoys. She has brought with her some corporate baggage, even though she was on her own for 6 years – the baggage that feels obligated to punch the proverbial time clock and make excuses for not being a 60-hour-a-week executive. But I’m guessing that it won’t be long as the results are speaking for themselves. I’m thinking about doing some sort of report about this bank … they are truly revolutionary in their leadership principles – and people are flocking to work for them – from other banks, but also from other independent businesses. It’s a amazing story. I’ll keep you posted!
Alexander Kjerulf Said,
April 21, 2006 @ 3:08 pm
That sounds excellent, Jodee, I would love to learn more.
Way to go, Fargo :o)
Phil Gerbyshak Said,
April 24, 2006 @ 2:06 am
What a great reminder to all of us to be as productive as possible in the 40 hours scheduled, and then be as productive as possible in the rest of our life too. Great stuff!
Alexander Kjerulf Said,
April 24, 2006 @ 11:12 am
Thanks, Phil! It’s certainly a blow to the old gotta-work-hard-if-you-wany-results school of though.
Chris Bailey Said,
April 25, 2006 @ 9:35 pm
Alexander, I think you’ve captured a fundamental challenge of our time…how to make an escape from the cult of overwork. Cultural brainwashing would have us believe that our value is tightly woven into the quantity of time we give to our work rather than the quality. And perhaps worse, the cult assumes that our singular work is everything and all-consuming. Got other passions? Leave ‘em at the door if you want to be a leader in business.
As for me…I’m in the process of saying ‘adios’ to the culture of overwork and hyperprofessionalism that pervades Washington, DC and heading to Austin, TX to make a go at a different way…one where I have the ability to explore more of my curiosities and passionate interests. Maybe I’ll still be a leader in business and hold out another model like the wonderful fictional story you tell above. Or maybe none of my paths will lead there. Whatever it is, I’m convinced that my happiness (and all of our happiness) can be discovered when I open my soul to playfully exploring all that this world has to offer me. I can’t imagine doing any of that tied to one job/one office/one chair for 16 hours, 6 days a week.
Positive Sharing » Let’s go vampire slaying Said,
May 15, 2006 @ 1:04 pm
[...] No. They’re not. In fact, laziness will take you much further. [...]
Dave MacLeod Said,
May 30, 2006 @ 8:24 pm
Another great article. Thank you. It reminds me of a tale a good friend and ex-colleague told me. He moved from a job in the UK (where 12hrs, 6 days a week were the norm) to work for an American company in Frankfurt. He just continued his regular working hours. At the end of his second week his (Swedish) boss took him to one side… “Joe, we’re concerned that you don’t seem able to complete your work in a normal 35 hour week… What can we do to help you?”
Just hearing this story was one of those “paradigm shift” moments for me.
Dave Mac
Alexander Said,
May 30, 2006 @ 9:22 pm
What a great story Dave! And I do believe that the Swedish manager’s attitude to long hours is healthier *and* more prouctive than what your friend had been used to.
Phaedrus Said,
May 31, 2006 @ 1:27 am
Let’s take it a step further, shall we? For instance, many engineers, writers, and artists are working 40-hour (Well, actually 50+ hour) weeks, simply because that’s what is required on the assembly line. By forcing creative people to work those hours we actually them LESS productive and creative, thus damaging the organization.
Now, I’m not “empowered” to allow my people to leave work early, so I just tell them to give me 5 good hours of work each day, and surf/chat/play the rest. The result? My teams continue to be the most productive in the company!
Ridiculous. Said,
May 31, 2006 @ 6:10 am
Spoken like a bunch of people who hate work and want to do the minimum they can get away with. Look, I have news for you — just like your family and friends and free time and playing around and goofing off and hobbies are YOUR priority — some of us find WORK *our* priority. Some of us don’t have families or extensive hobbies becuase we LIKE to work and we like accomplishing things at work and being productive.
You may look at it as “the more time I spend at work, the less time I have for my family, friends and hobbies and sitting around”. I look at my life as “the more family I have; the more friends I have; the more hobbies I have; the more time I waste sitting around… the less time I have for my work”.
If cleaning up after a toddler, paying a mortgage, driving a mini-van, drinking beer and watching football and having brunch with the family are more important to you than work – fine. But some of us already have our priorities straight and just because ours don’t match yours doesn’t mean that it’s “wasted” because we’ve spent it on work.
Ridiculous. Said,
May 31, 2006 @ 6:14 am
““Joe, we’re concerned that you don’t seem able to complete your work in a normal 35 hour week… What can we do to help you??”
Um… Some people have no limit to the amount of work they have before them. Seriously, how many of us have a quantifiable and limited amount of work to do at the office? Probably almost nobody. If you work 10 hours, there is still work left to be done. If you work 100 hours, there is still work left to be done. It’s not like someone sticks a plate of work on your desk and says “you have 40 hours in this work week in which to complete this”.
Sure, you can do a full week’s worth of work in 40 hours. But you can do more than a week’s worth of work if you work more than 40 hours. Why stop at 40? Why stop where everyone else stops? Why have the same “I can’t wait to get out of here and get my ass home” attitude that all of your coworkers have?
Mr Angry Said,
May 31, 2006 @ 7:28 am
Very clever. You had me going at the start, I was all ready to have a new CEO hero. Then you tell me they’re all stuck at the same old same old. It’s pretty good where I am now – my immediate boss is a strong believer in leaving at 5.30 as the rule rather than the exception. It’s been explicity stated that the decline in productivity after that means it’s hardly ever worthwhile to work longer hours. We do it when there’s a deadline but not every day. Seems sane to me.
Drugi dom » Blog Archive » Kultura deloholikov Said,
May 31, 2006 @ 8:10 am
[...] Ve? [...]
Nic Said,
May 31, 2006 @ 2:55 pm
In response to Ridiculous:
We know there’s never a shortage of work to be done. That’s (hopefully) the nature of your business – especially for consultant/custom software developers. The more work you have stacked up in the queue, the better the company is doing.
The reason that he is advocating working the “standard” work week, or even less is that after a certain point, the quality goes down while the hours go up. Sure, I can crank out code for a 100 hours a week. Almost anyone can. But I gaurantee that after the 40 hour mark, the quality starts to drop off. Especially if you hit that mark on a Wednesday (assuming you started the count from Monday).
But what happens to the rest of our lives? What about your family (if you come home to one)? Friends? Hobbies? Anything outside of work? Most of us work to support the rest of our lives. I come home after work, and then spend time with my wife, play with our dog, fire up the 360. Or we go to dinner. Or we hang out with friends. Any number of things that I could not do if I’ve been at the office for 18 hours that day and need to get 4 hours of sleep just so I can head back to work.
Just my two cents.
Alexander Said,
May 31, 2006 @ 9:49 pm
Phaedrus: That absolutely rocks. Kudos!
Ridiculous: I see your point, but this is not about not liking work and trying to avoid it. I *love* my job but still realize, that beyond a certain point, working more hours means that I both get less work done and that I start neglecting other things that matter to me.
And remember: If 40 hours a week gets you x amount of work, 80 hours does not get you 2x. Especially not if it’s *every* week.
Mr. Angry: Glad you liked it, sorry I couldn’t supply a new hero CEO, but here’s one for ya: http://positivesharing.com/2006/05/book-review-the-seven-day-weekend
Ricardo Semler would totally agree on this issue, as his books show.
Nic: Exactly! Quality goes down, meaning that you may have to go back and re-check or even re-do that work later. AND the rest of your life suffers.
If there’s always more work to do, then what’s the point in working 80 hours – you still won’t be finished :o)
Mathias Said,
June 1, 2006 @ 1:42 pm
This is a tough one. I can see the point from both Alexander’s and Ridiculous’ arguments.
However a thing which seems to have avoided this discussion, is the whole obsessing with time. It seems that we treat time as money – something to be wasted, spent, used or invested. You pay money to buy time(i.e. by having someone else to iron your expensive shirts) and you invest time to earn more money. You can even optimize your time so you have the most “quality time” i.e. with your familiy, instead of merely “time”.
For me, the whole point in “leisure” should be to avoid “time”, however, the term “spare time” seems to connect the two pretty tightly. I think that one of the problems with stress is not that people are working too much, but also that fact that they are pretty f***ng scared to waste their sparse leisure time. It puts an enourmous pressure on you, because you have to decide what to do all the time, since you otherwise would face the risk of wasting your time.
How about skipping the whole “time” concept? I’ve stopped dividing my time into work and leisure, since it seems to overlap in great extend. I’m a student, and I also run my own company on the sideline – so I have the freedom to do this. I read the same books, magazines and websites. When I’m in the mood for designing websites, I do that. When I’m in the mood for reading about communication or linguistics I do that. When I’m in the mood for sleeping I do that. I still seem that I love what I do enough to get the jobs done par excellence. frankly I don’t know if I’m working more or less than 40 hours a week. It doesn’t feel like that, but on the other hand: I don’t do much else, and I don’t sleep that much either.
But of course no manager of today would ever believe in an approach like this. unfortunately. If my company ever grows big enough to hire someone, I’m also unsure if I would have the courage to try it myself… but I hope so.
partly inspired by Lakoff & Johnson “Metaphors we live by”, and Margaret Wheatley “Leadership and the new science”
mel starrs Said,
June 1, 2006 @ 9:00 pm
I agree wholeheartedly with the 40-hour week and try whereever possible to stick to it. BUT I work in a male dominated, long hours culture, where if you leave the office at 5.30, witty comments such as ‘Thanks for calling’ are thrown around. There is enormous pressure to work long hours. What isn’t focussed on is productivity and profit from the hours worked. If I can produce more deliverables/projects at a greater profit level, then who’s the fool? Me, sitting at home enjoying a glass of wine, chatting to my significant other, or a colleague doing 60 hours and being patted on the back for his ‘hard work’. Who’s working harder/most effectively? Scott Adams has a great chapter on the ‘OA5′ (out at five) concept in ‘The Dilbert Principle’. He focusses on the limited mental ability anyone has in one day and also all the superfluous crap we have to fit into a day at work (unnecessary meetings etc). I just need to instil that culture into my industry somehow – any ideas???
Alexander Kjerulf Said,
June 2, 2006 @ 12:03 am
Mathias, I really like your thinking. We definitely need a new approach to time, and one thing I try to do is not to treat time as a scarce resource. If you manage time from a lack mentality (as in OMG, there’s only 24 hours in each day, how can I ever get all my stuff done), you’re always behind.
Instead, I try to cultivate an abundance mentality towards time. I don’t have time, I *make* time. For whatever I want. It follows that you also have to accept your time choices and enjoy the things you chose to make time for and not worry about the things you didn’t. It sounds pretty close to what you’re doing, don’t you think?
Mel: Changing an ingrown business culture that’s been around for years is really easy. This is how you do it:
…
…
…
Just kidding :o) It can actually be really difficult.
Results certainly help. If you can document your approach and the results it gets you then it would be hard to fault you. The business world does, after all, run on results.
Ultimately, each of us possesses one way to get around these managers: Leave! If change is impossible where we are, we can move to a different position or a different company where a more enlightened approach is practised.
Positive Sharing » Links Said,
June 2, 2006 @ 12:50 am
[...] Karoshi is a japanese word for death by overwork. Yes, it happens. If you want to protest the The Cult of Overwork, why not put it on a T-shirt (thanks, cityzenjane). [...]
Positive Sharing » My lazy life Said,
June 12, 2006 @ 10:27 am
[...] The cult of overwork [...]
Fudeblog by Cesar Cardoso » O orgulho da casa Said,
June 22, 2006 @ 2:45 pm
[...] Mais duas pílulas de Positive Sharing: vamos caçar vampiros que impedem nossa felicidade e o culto de que excesso de trabalho é bom. Alexander Kjertuf está, rapidamente, se tornando meu guru; isso se já não for e eu não sei. De qualquer maneira, já estou iniciando a maratona de leitura da categoria Open Source Business do blog. [...]
inkling Said,
June 22, 2006 @ 6:01 pm
I used to work at a company with a strong “overwork” culture. After two years obsessing about getting in at 7, leaving at 7 (and then working even more from home), my wife had a baby. I took a week off, then felt justified in limiting my work to 40 hours for the next couple of months (due to my lack of sleep and need to help around the house).
In that two-month period I realized I accomplished exactly as much and was exactly as busy as I was when I worked ~60 hours/week. From then on, I was in at 8, out at 5, aside from the occasional large project, and I completely stopped working at home. I was never happier, more organized or more successful in that job.
With this peace of mind and free time, I was able to invest a few hours in learning the GTD system, learning more about my field and getting more involved in professional and community organizations. (This may have averaged about 3 hours/week at the max.) All that I learned in this time enabled me to get a new job and a significantly higher salary.
Meanwhile, when I talk to employees at the old company, they’re bragging about the 75-hour workweeks and discussing which anti-anxiety meds they take.
Nickola Said,
June 22, 2006 @ 6:20 pm
I cannot stand the workaholic mentality. When I was a teenager just out of high school, my stepfather made it very clear that he thought I was lazy and practically worthless since I wouldn’t work an additional five to six hours at home after putting in my eight hours at work like he did. (he owned his own machining buisness and he did not need my help, just felt walked all over when someone wasn’t working as much as he was) So my rebellious streak starts rising to the surface when someone suggests I should be giving everything I have to my work. But now to the point I was actually going to make…I think one of the issues with workaholics is that they place a lot or even most/all of their self worth in their work/ work performance. That is certainly the way my stepdad was. He was absolutely miserable when he had time off and made sure everybody else was miserable too. I’m now in med school (so now I kind of have to be a workaholic to some degree just to get by, but there are ways to keep the balance) and I couldn’t stand surgery for similar reasons. If you were putting in less than 12 hours a day, then you were seriously slacking off, and the norm was more like 16 a day. I would literally get home with only six-seven hours before I had to get up the next morning every day, and I was expected to also be studying in whatever free time I could scrape together, which usually meant getting less sleep everynight, and dedicating every day off to serious study. But I’m ranting again. My point is that many of these surgeons would be in the hospital everyday, for rediculous hours. One family commented that one doctor never seemed to leave the hospital because they would see him at five in the morning to talk about their family member and then would be talking with him at midnight the following night about the emergency surgery that had to be done, and then the next day at noon for an update. I could almost be sure that if I was in the hospital, so was he somewhere. (and it’s NOT like he HAS TO BE THERE OR THE PATIENT WILL DIE. The system in the hospital is set up so there is always someone who can take care of the emergencies when you aren’t there. Health care is never dependent on one person except in rare cases) My point is that, sure he may like surgery, but to allow something that you may even like to consume your life to that degree says that you are hiding from something else that you probably really need to deal with. I mean, this guy had a family. I doubt his kids really knew him at all. That is sad and unhealthy. I don’t think it would be much of a stretch to say that many people who are workaholics would benifit greatly from some counseling and therapy. They are driven to work that hard by something, and it isn’t a strong work ethic. More than likely, it is the only way they can feel okay as a person.
Fez Said,
June 23, 2006 @ 5:09 am
I just wanted to mention… it’s a completely different scenario when you are the founder / owner of your own company.
Yeah, I work 15 hour days sometimes.
But 7-8 of those hours might be on *my own projects/startup* and thus do not feel like work.
But yes, the plan is, once the checks start rolling in, to take a balanced work/life approach.
Alexander Said,
June 23, 2006 @ 8:15 am
Fez: Yeah, I know, when the business is your own baby, you tend to work more. It also tends to be a lot of fun :o)
There is also this deep-set expectation that to succeed with a startup, means having to work that much. Well, I tried it the other way: In the startup I co-founded, everybody worked 40 hours a week including us founders.
Here’s an experiment you might consider: Try working 40 hours a week for, say, 4 weeks. If it turns out not to work at all, you can always abort the experiment. If you try it, pay particular attention to 3 things:
1) How much less work are you getting done. You may be cutting your work time in half, but find that you get more than half as much work done.
2) The quality of your work. Are you having more or fewer good ideas? Are you relating better or worse to people around you? Is it easier or harder to maintain an overview of your business?
3) How are you feeling? Are you noticing any differences in how you feel about work and life in general? Are people around you noticing a difference?
What if you could work less, and get more done? It seems illogical, but that is what many people are finding – even company founders.
Jet Grrl » Blog Archive » links for 2006-06-24 Said,
June 24, 2006 @ 1:51 am
[...] Positive Sharing » The cult of overwork (tags: Blog Career People) [...]
Working too hard or hardly working? - davecentral Planet David Central & Dave Central Planet Said,
June 24, 2006 @ 2:04 am
[...] Positive Sharing discusses the responses of a few top execs to the question of how they manage their time; by far, the most common answer was “I work until I fall over.” Yes, they’re accomplishing fabulous things, but at what cost to their personal lives..if they’ve got ‘em. — Wendy Boswell The cult of overwork [Positive Sharing] [...]
Positive Sharing » 2006 » July Said,
July 7, 2006 @ 4:24 pm
[...] The cult of overwork [...]
Positive Sharing » Why “The customer is always right” is wrong Said,
July 17, 2006 @ 9:43 am
[...] The cult of overwork [...]
Margaret Wang » Business philosophies Said,
July 18, 2006 @ 8:22 pm
[...] This morning a co-worker sent me a link to a blog, Daily reports from the Chief Happiness Officer. Sounds a little too feel-good, right? Well, I will tell you that I think this guy is right on the money and understands the key factors to having healthy, happy, productive, and maybe even loyal employees. A few of his topics include: Top 5 reasons why “The Customer is Always Right” is wrong, The cult of overwork, and The cult of overwork (again). [...]
Dana Said,
July 19, 2006 @ 9:26 pm
Why don’t any of the links in the posts work?
Alexander Said,
July 19, 2006 @ 9:34 pm
They work for me…
No Parking Said,
July 23, 2006 @ 1:30 pm
Happiness at work
Ever feel stressed? Too many things going on at work, and too little time to do it? You’re not alone. It’s easy to lose track of what’s important: your own well-being and happiness.I recently discovered <a href="http://positi …
Positive Sharing » 5 essential steps to resolve a conflict at work Said,
July 31, 2006 @ 11:57 am
[...] The cult of overwork – and why working too much is bad for you and bad for business Share this post:These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. [...]
Frank Jones Said,
August 2, 2006 @ 7:21 pm
Note that all the successful leaders disagree with you. I agree with you, but I am not a successful leader. So, who is right, us or the successful leaders?
Alexander Kjerulf Said,
August 2, 2006 @ 7:31 pm
Frank: It seems that way sure, but the truth is that all the successful leaders that CNN asked disagree with us.
Check out:
http://positivesharing.com/2006/03/book-review-the-lazy-way/
http://positivesharing.com/2006/05/book-review-the-seven-day-weekend/
Fred Gratzon and Ricardo Semler are great examples of leaders who don’t believe that more hours lead to more success.
Positive Sharing » Book review: The Seven-Day Weekend Said,
August 2, 2006 @ 11:36 pm
[...] The Cult of Overwork [...]
Why secret salaries are a baaaaaad idea Said,
August 8, 2006 @ 9:05 am
[...] The cult of overwork [...]
Scott Said,
August 9, 2006 @ 7:49 am
I once had a boss who told me, “I used to work 9am to 9pm, and my wife was not happy. So I started working at 7am, but I still find myself leaving at 9pm. No matter how early I come in, I leave at the same time.”
But for me, I NEVER want to be one of those people who gets up from their desk at 4:58pm and is out the door at 5:00pm sharp. I detest those people. There are times when I am working on something, and get up to ask someone a question, and they’re gone for the day. I look at my watch and it’s 4:30pm!!! Those people lose my respect instantly.
I’m not saying work 12 hours a day, but if you could your minutes down so that you leave at exactly 7.25 hours on the spot each and every day, you are not even giving your work 100%.
Alexander Said,
August 9, 2006 @ 8:12 am
I agree Scott. That whole “DING, it’s 5 I’m outta here and I can’t help you ’till tomorrow” attitude ain’t good either. If you’re in the middle of something, stay a little longer and get it done.
I say go ahead and work 80 hours one week if work requires it, then take at week of some time. That kind of a crunch situation can even be a lot of fun. But when 80 h/wk becomes the norm it reduces many people’s productivity and may eventually make them stressed and sick.
The top 10 advantages of low-rent living Said,
August 11, 2006 @ 10:34 am
[...] 5: Freedom to work less hours There’s no pressure on me to work 50, 60 or 80 hours a week. I can if I want to and sometimes I do and if I’d rather work 20 hours one week I can do that. I’ve once and for all left The Cult of Overwork. [...]
Let’s lose the job descriptions Said,
August 16, 2006 @ 2:36 pm
[...] The cult of overwork [...]
Make your startup happy Said,
August 17, 2006 @ 4:13 pm
[...] The cult of overwork [...]
darrel Said,
August 23, 2006 @ 8:24 pm
Phaedrus…you hiring? ;o)
In response to ridiculous, one needs to realize that a big part about liking one’s job is not having one’s job take over their entire life.
“I’m not saying work 12 hours a day, but if you could your minutes down so that you leave at exactly 7.25 hours on the spot each and every day, you are not even giving your work 100%.”
No, it just means your ass isn’t sitting in a chair 8 hours a day. The whole point of all of this is that most of the time, one can give the same 100% effort in less ’seat time’. We live in a society that judges your output not by your actual output, but by the amount of busy work you can futz through will sitting in your chair.
Homework makes kids hate learning Said,
August 28, 2006 @ 3:44 pm
[...] You know what this fixation on homework is? It’s The Cult of Overwork forced on children. Let’s stop it. [...]
Joseph Becher » Blog Archive » Overwork. Bad. Said,
August 31, 2006 @ 5:44 pm
[...] http://positivesharing.com/2006/04/the-cult-of-overwork-2 [...]
Ask the CHO: Fighting the cult of overwork in upper management Said,
September 7, 2006 @ 12:32 pm
[...] Stan has some questions about the cult of overwork: [...]
Tdenham Said,
September 20, 2006 @ 12:06 pm
[...] [...]
Great comments Said,
September 26, 2006 @ 6:03 pm
[...] First, this comment that Inkling left on my post about The Cult of Overwork: I used to work at a company with a strong “overwork? culture. After two years obsessing about getting in at 7, leaving at 7 (and then working even more from home), my wife had a baby. I took a week off, then felt justified in limiting my work to 40 hours for the next couple of months (due to my lack of sleep and need to help around the house). [...]
Ask the CHO: Implied overwork Said,
October 12, 2006 @ 11:04 am
[...] I’m fairly sure that this kind of situation is quite common. The rules say “work X hours a day”. Practically everyone works more or way more. You can stand up for your rights, but then run the risk of hidden punishment – you may be passed over for a promotion or a raise the next time around, because you’re obviusly not as committed as the other people who work more than you do. This is of course total bullshit, as I pointed out here, here and here. [...]
Top 5 myths about workplace stress Said,
November 14, 2006 @ 12:15 pm
[...] The cult of overwork [...]
How to procrastinate effectively Said,
November 29, 2006 @ 11:04 am
[...] The cult of overwork [...]
My favorites Said,
December 2, 2006 @ 4:20 pm
[...] The Cult of Overwork [...]
Contract Worker - Staying Happy While Working Said,
December 15, 2006 @ 7:15 pm
[...] The Cult of Overwork [...]
Why “Motivation by Pizza” Doesn’t Work Said,
December 19, 2006 @ 12:46 am
[...] The cult of overwork [...]
Happy at work at Nixon McInnes Said,
February 28, 2007 @ 9:46 pm
[...] YES! Way to go! It’s all very Semler-ish and perfectly in tune with my previous posts on why secret salaries are a bad idea and the cult of overwork. [...]
Get more sleep- be happier at work Said,
June 5, 2007 @ 9:45 pm
[...] The Cult of Overwork [...]
Podcast interview with yours truly Said,
September 12, 2007 @ 11:27 am
[...] The cult of overwork [...]
The website of Joseph Becher » Delicious LiveJournal Links for 9-1-2006 Said,
December 7, 2007 @ 6:50 am
[...] The cult of overwork [...]
Sven Bergstrom Said,
December 12, 2007 @ 8:51 pm
Please check out “Take Back Your Time,” a joint US/Canadian initiative to challenge the epidemic of overwork. http://timeday.org/
Karoshi vs. arbejdsglaede Said,
January 17, 2008 @ 12:48 pm
[...] The Cult of Overwork [...]
E Said,
March 19, 2008 @ 7:24 pm
The cult of overwork in America is an inefficient and counterproductive method of approaching work. A company I worked for required that I work more than the standard 40 hour week. Not just suggested, required. My boss would show up at 7 am and work until 9 pm. My dept was expected to show up no later than 8 am and leave no earlier than 7 pm. There are many reasons why I don’t like these kind of set schedules, especially when they go beyond what you’re being paid to do. Aside from being stressful and reducing your personal time, it is probably the most inefficient method out there to get productive work out of your employees. I was so amused at watching so-called executives and key project managers who bemoaned how much work they had to do essentially stretch what for everyone else would be maybe 35-50 hours a week tops worth of work into 60-70 hour work weeks. Much of this time was taken up in meetings they didn’t have to attend, excessively long phone calls, long lunches with clients, and even browsing the internet to make up for the additional hour or two. I think it was really all an act in an effort to make it look to the boss like they were really working. I think the cult of overwork will only end when managers recognize that there is a difference b/w employees working 70 hours a week and employees being at work for 70 hours a week. If you’ve got no more work to do and you’re not working, leave, instead of trying to impress the boss by sitting there for a couple of hours more.
Dave Greiman Said,
March 19, 2008 @ 10:22 pm
[…] The Cult of Overwork […]
Tom Woolf Said,
March 20, 2008 @ 4:44 am
I used to work for General Electric, from the mid-80’s through mid-90’s, right in the middle of Jack Welch’s reign. During that time, it was very clear that you were to work until the job was done (of course, that was REALLY stressed to Exempt employees, who would get no or very limited overtime pay – “casual OT” for Exempt employees during a normal week was 10 hours – twice that during month end).
The official mantra was “fewer but better jobs”, which we were to achieve by implementing efficiencies in our jobs. Realistically, it became “fewer but bigger jobs”. Though efficiencies were achieved, head counts would drop, and so you’d be left with more work to do.
I read Welch’s autobiography (I forget the title). In it, he describes a golf outing with some random GE employees where one employee brags to Welch that “(he) worked 70 hours per week for (Welch’s) company.” Welch told him he was foolish, and should spend time concentrating on making the job more efficient, and he should work 40 hours per week and get a life. The irony is that the “fewer but better/bigger jobs” left NO time to find better ways to do things – there was simply too much to do.
One day my boss, having heard “you’re not getting my pet project done” one too many times, spent a department meeting going over the list of things his group had scheduled to do. According to that schedule, if every person in his department worked 90 hours per week, we would finish the tasks his boss required of us. (Obviously, my boss’ boss had not read that chapter in Welch’s book…) Jack was great for shareholders, but employees took the brunt of his grand plans.
I left GE to work for a software company that supplied financial software to GE. Doing the same job I did at GE, I was soon making 2x my GE salary (working less hours), and reaching 3x the salary. Oh, and my ex-coworkers? They were “downsized”, with their jobs going to Mexico and India. They definitely got the “fewer jobs” thing right.
Quevin Said,
March 20, 2008 @ 6:31 pm
Now that I have my own small business, I reminisce about the times I felt like I had to stay in the office (at full-time job) until everyone else was leaving. As if to support them? I literally felt as if I had to stay there, even if I didn’t have anything to do. Unfortunately, my job was often dependent upon someone else’s ability to complete copy for the Website or make a decision to go ahead and code something.
I think there’s a residual culture from the dot com era that says it’s OK to come in late, but you have to stay late. This is only compounded by the troubled economy with fear of layoffs. Even if you come in early, with hopes of leaving early… it never works to your advantage. So, people come in later– and stay later, get less done early, end up making everyone stay late. Nothing really gets done well this way, and people just end up getting burned out. And really, the only solid work that gets done occurs during those last few-hours when people just want to finish and go home.
Amapola Said,
March 21, 2008 @ 12:19 am
There’s a really good book on this subject by John De Graaf from timeday.org The book is called, “Take Back Your Time”
I believe timeday.org is doing more for familes than Focus On The Family ever thought of. “Spending time with your family is a family value.”
Amapola
alternativeconservative.com
Rosemary Slosek Said,
April 21, 2008 @ 1:12 pm
‘And I’m sure they know what they’re doing and have structured their life according to what works best for them.’
With that one sentence, you just validated what executives do.
Have a think about that :)
The Advantages of Low Rent Living : Restless in Raleigh Said,
July 10, 2008 @ 11:06 pm
[...] 5: Freedom to work less hours There’s no pressure on me to work 50, 60 or 80 hours a week. I can if I want to and sometimes I do and if I’d rather work 20 hours one week I can do that. I’ve once and for all left The Cult of Overwork. [...]
eredlorkili Said,
March 17, 2009 @ 7:46 pm
I’m new here.. just wanted to say hi!
ALP Said,
March 30, 2009 @ 6:08 pm
I fully expected one of them to go “I get up at 4 in the morning, half an hour before I go to bed, and work a 27-hour day, only stopping for a 3-minute lunch break in which two assistants stuff food down my throat like a foie-gras goose.”
– I laughed at this part, knowing this is the grim truth for many of the people here at the office. More grim is the fact that most of them are from the higher-ups, thus setting an unhealthy standard of working hours here.
As for some of us, we simply find ourselved driven to a corner, living lives of quiet desperation (as Henry David Thoreau puts it) by this complicated and fast pace they’ve set.
For instance, it’s already 1am here and I’m still at the office, working my butt off. And this is the Nth time in a series of all-nighters. I want out.
Lucy Said,
May 5, 2009 @ 1:18 am
I found your site, because I am angry – I am one of those people who overperforms and have set a precedent that works to my disadvantage. There are times I love what I do, but things never get better. I told my boss once that I feel exploited, but that was swept under the rug. He said he couldn’t klone me. Plus the only way we can get our work done is if we work a lot of overtime. In a recnet review, my boss rated me as outstanding in work quality and quantity, but then mentioned that he’d like me to have more patience with people. It would be easier I do that if I were not exhausted all of the time. And I think it would be easier to be deal with some of the people who collect a paycheck and do nothing if I had a life besides work. I have to figure out how to get off this hamster wheel. And I will do it – I am there.