Hustle Culture in the Workplace - Understanding Its Impact & How to Deal With It
Table of contents
- What is hustle culture?
- What is the origin of hustle culture?
- Examples of hustle culture in the workplace
- What is hustle culture's impact on mental health?
- How does hustle culture impact physical health?
- What is Gen Z's relationship to hustle culture?
- How can employees deal with hustle culture in the workplace?
- How can employers avoid creating a hustle culture in their workplace?
- FAQs
- Wrapping Up
"Hustle culture" may seem like just another work-related buzzphrase that gets tossed around, but it's so much deeper than that. This term refers to the never-ending push to increase work hours, neglect the need to take breaks, and ultimately, to feel guilty putting oneself ahead of work.
Hustle culture normalizes overworking, lofty goals, and a general sense of "workaholism."
This type of unsustainable culture inevitably leads to employee burnout. A recent study by Deloitte found that 77% of workers reported feeling burned out by their jobs, and 42% left their jobs because of this.
To combat this, employers need to understand more deeply just how insidious hustle culture can be and take steps to combat it within their workplaces.
What is hustle culture?
Hustle culture is a push to work harder to get ahead by any means necessary, often at the expense of self-care and the employee's mental and physical health. In hustle culture, overworking is glamorized and seen as a badge of honor.
The pervasive narrative is that in order to achieve their professional goals, employees must succumb to this ceaseless pressure to perform better, as they're bound by unrealistic standards and goals.
Toxic hustle culture may include being pushed by management to work long hours or pick up overtime whenever it's offered. Employees are encouraged to sacrifice everything else in their lives for the sake of work.
Eventually, it's inevitable that this kind of stress and overwhelm will spill over into an employee's personal life, as it can have a deep, negative impact on their well-being.
The issues with hustle culture became especially clear during the COVID-19 pandemic when the lines between work and personal life were blurred as many employees began to work from home.
During this time, when there were so many things that needed tending to outside of work, the emotional burden that hustle culture creates became much clearer.
What is the origin of hustle culture?
The hustle culture ideology originated from tech companies during the 1990's, when Silicon Valley started to take over, and overworked staff became the standard. While their leaders are often seen as memorable innovators, the internal cultures of these companies are often unhealthy. Hustle culture has become so pervasive that it can feel difficult to remember a time before it.
To illustrate this further, Elon Musk was once quoted saying that "nobody ever changed the world on 40 hours a week." Hustle culture perpetuates the idea that Musk's level of success is achievable by anyone willing to work themselves to the bone.
Unfortunately, most people who devote their lives to this "toxic productivity" ideology at the expense of their own well-being will experience burnout and resentment before it will ever make them a billionaire.
Examples of hustle culture in the workplace
Hustle culture can be identified in a workplace if certain elements are present. These may include:
- Expecting employees to stay late or come to work early
- Assigning employees never-ending to-do lists
- Requesting tasks be completed in unrealistic timeframes
- Expecting accurate task completion without adequate resources
- Leading with fear and intimidation rather than gratitude and respect
- Expressing disinterest toward employees' lives outside the office
- Creating a culture of toxic positivity
What is hustle culture's impact on mental health?
Hustle culture puts unbelievable pressure on employees, which often has a negative impact on mental health. As they're constantly being pushed to perform and rarely being thanked for their efforts, they may begin to experience feelings of worthlessness, overwhelm, and resentment. These feelings can manifest as:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Guilt
- Apathy
- Burnout
How does hustle culture impact physical health?
Increased levels of stress can also have massive impacts on employees' physical health. These can include, but are not limited to:
- Physical exhaustion
- Increased risk of cardiovascular disease
- Gastrointestinal issues
- Trouble sleeping
- "Flare-ups" of existing illnesses
- Reduced immune system function
- High blood pressure
What is Gen Z's relationship to hustle culture?
Generation Z, or those born between 1997 and 2012, are reinventing their relationships to workOpens in a new tab. Witnessing the burnout of former generations and how overworked and undervalued their parents were, these pioneering young people are rejecting outdated working conditions and the toxicity of hustle culture.
Gen Z employees are refining what it means to "hustle" toward their professional and financial goals. Many Gen Z employees are working in the gig economy or running very lucrative "side hustles," such as being TikTok influencers, aside from their main professional roles.
They're also much more vocal about boundaries around their personal time in the office. This generation is determined to pave the way by "making work work for them," pivoting the pervasive culture toward something more sustainable.
How can employees deal with hustle culture in the workplace?
There are many things employees can do to advocate for and protect themselvesOpens in a new tab, even in the most toxic workplaces. These strategies include:
Setting realistic, personalized professional goals
While it may sound impressive to tell your manager that your goal is to move up many levels within the organization, that may not be your true desire or even the best thing for your career.
Many people are happy remaining as individual contributors and don't dream of heightened workloads or leading large teams, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Setting realistic goals can help ensure that you aren't having your performance measured against someone else's goals.
Refusing to multitask
Multitasking is one of the quickest paths to stress and burnout. It's unrealistic to expect anyone to juggle multiple activities at one time, and doing so can often negatively affect the quality of the work.
By voicing the need to focus on one task at a time, you can help reduce your own stress levels and ensure that tasks are completed with better accuracy and focus.
Upholding strong boundaries
While it may seem frightening to learn to say "no" to your employer, it's very important to learn to hold strong boundaries, especially with bosses who have unrealistic expectations.
These boundaries may include not answering work calls or emails outside of your scheduled hours, or not taking work home on the weekends. This will help you advocate for yourself and feel more empowered and in control, regardless of the energy of the environment.
Scheduling time for breaks
While it may seem like you're being more productive when you work through lunch or sit at the computer all day without getting up, that's not going to be the case in the long run.
Neglecting your physical and mental health to complete tasks within unrealistic timeframes without rest is only going to lead to burnout, resentment, and a lack of productivity down the line.
Stepping away for a bit and taking breaks throughout the day can help you refuel, recharge, and return to work with more positivity and fresh ideas.
Using all PTO and other benefits
Your PTO is there for a reason! Unless it rolls over, there's no reward in getting to the end of the year without taking as much as possible. Even a few well-timed weekend getaways can really change the trajectory of a year by giving you something to look forward to.
Other benefits like free gym memberships or tuition reimbursement can also go a long way to helping you feel like the best and most well-rounded version of yourself.
How can employers avoid creating a hustle culture in their workplace?
Great leaders have the opportunity to nip toxic work cultures in the bud and work to create more psychologically safe workplaces for everyone. Some great ways to improve and maintain a more positive work culture are as follows:
Encourage employees to take time off
Taking vacations, long weekends, and mental health days can go such a long way to help foster a sense of work-life balance and help your employees feel more grounded. While it may seem counterintuitive, employees who take time off are often more positive and productive, as they have the time they need away from work to rest, recharge, and tend to other important areas of their lives.
Support mental and emotional wellness
One of the most impactful things employers can do is help their employees prioritize their mental well-being. Not only will this make their professional lives seem more manageable, it will also help them focus better and communicate more clearly at work.
This, in turn, can lead to better career success, as your employees will feel that their work is more manageable, and feel more compelled to stay with the company and move up the ladder.
Offer work flexibility
Offering employees the option to shift their work schedules to better suit their needs, or to opt for remote work whenever they'd like can play a huge role in reducing employee burnout.
This type of flexible structure improves work-life integration, helps prevent burnout, and decreases employees' stress levels, as their responsibilities in other spheres of life feel more manageable. Encouraging employees to take regular breaks throughout the day is also an important part of this strategy.
Take the time to get to know employees as people
Connecting with employees by asking them about their lives outside of work is a great way to build relationships within the office and create a more supportive work environment.
Bonding over things like shared hobbies, parenting woes, or favorite TV shows can strengthen your working relationship and make them feel much more appreciated as full people.
FAQs
How do you identify toxic hustle culture in a workplace?
There are a few obvious markers of hustle culture. One is employees who are highly competitive with one another. Another is unrealistic workloads, with employees being set up to fail with the amount of work they're assigned.
Domineering or thankless managers are often a part of these unhealthy environments. Lastly, angry, resentful, burnt-out employees can also indicate a toxic workplace culture.
What are other names for hustle culture?
Hustle culture is also known as burnout culture, grind culture, rise and grind, toil glamour, or a myriad of other names. While the words used to identify it may differ regionally, hustle culture is a push to overwork, overcommit, and overproduce.
Who does hustle culture benefit?
Although it may seem counterintuitive, hustle culture truly doesn't benefit everyone. It deeply affects employees' mental and physical health, decreasing their job satisfaction rates.
It also doesn't benefit employers or their companies, because although they may see higher rates of employee productivity for a time, this unsustainable level of performance ultimately and inevitably leads to burnout and increased turnover.
Wrapping Up
Avoiding hustle culture is a great way to foster health and wellness in your workplace. A culture that prioritizes work-life balance, recognition, and accessibility can also create an environment that is more conducive to maintaining a diverse, equitable workforce.
By eliminating the negative impact that hustle culture can have on your employees' mental and physical health, you can help them feel less stressed and avoid burnout, which will inevitably decrease your company's turnover rates. Creating a healthier culture will not only benefit your employees, but also your clients, and ultimately, your bottom line.
About the author
Anna Picagli
As a CYT500 yoga instructor and a certified reiki practitioner, Anna is an advocate for holistic wellness, especially within the workplace.
She’s extremely passionate about the brain-body connection and exploring how mental and physical wellness intersect.
Anna has experienced firsthand how chronic stress, overworking, poor management, and other organizational issues can lead to extreme burnout. Knowing the impact that a toxic work environment can have on a person’s body, psyche, and general sense of well-being, she now works to direct others away from facing the same fate.
As Workhuman’s Content Marketing Senior Specialist, Anna is a regular contributor to Workhuman iQ reports and aims to create resources that company leaders can reference to help improve their culture and empower their employees, creating healthier workplaces for everyone.
In her free time, she’s a voracious reader and a seasoned home chef. You can learn more about Anna’s work on LinkedIn or through the Yoga Alliance.