By Jonathan H. Westover, PhD
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Abstract: This article explores the costs and benefits of working excessively long hours through an analysis of academic research and real-world industry examples. It argues that while dedication and hard work have driven success initially for many professionals, an "always on" culture risks normalizing unsustainable practices that undermine well-being in the long run. extensive research documents the negative impacts of chronic overwork on physical health, mental health, job satisfaction, and productivity. However, evidence also suggests that balanced boundaries between work and personal life can yield individual rewards like reduced stress and organizational rewards like stronger engagement and innovation. The article provides strategies for professionals and leaders to strike a balance appropriate for their context, through mechanisms like clearly communicating expectations, measuring outcomes over hours, guarding time for learning and relationships, and role modeling boundaries. With care and intention, even competitive industries can promote sustainable success over the long term.
Work-life balance has become an increasingly important issue in today's workplace. As technology allows us to be constantly connected, more professionals find themselves working longer hours and blurring the lines between their personal and professional lives. While dedication and hard work have their place, an "always on" mindset can take a significant toll if not properly managed.
In this brief, I draw on research from management studies, organizational behavior, and positive psychology to explore some of the costs and benefits of a 70-hour work week. My goal is to provide actionable insights based on both academic findings and real-world examples from different industries. Through an honest assessment of challenges and tradeoffs, I hope business leaders and professionals alike can make more informed choices about sustaining success while also nurturing well-being, relationships, and a life beyond work.
Defining Success and Its Discontents
What defines success in today's competitive landscape? For many, long hours and constant accessibility have become a proxy for dedication, commitment and career momentum (Bartel et al., 2014). When surveying over 25 top executives across tech, finance, and consulting, nearly all reported routinely working well beyond a typical 40-hour week, driven by a relentless pursuit of results, revenue goals and shareholder value (Thomas, 2019).
While output and responsibilities have certainly expanded in the digital age, an "always on" culture risks normalizing unsustainable practices that undermine health, happiness and productivity over the long run. The costs of constant overwork are real, and success alone does not shield individuals from burnout, relationship issues, or other negative effects on well-being (Shanafelt and Noseworthy, 2017).
Costs of Overwork on Individuals and Organizations
At the individual level, extensive research documents risks to both physical and mental health from prolonged high stress. Working excessive hours has been linked to higher rates of cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, and other health problems (Ganster and Rosen, 2013). It also increases odds of depression, anxiety, and burnout - a state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion caused by chronic workplace stress (Maslach et al., 2001).
These difficulties spill over to impact organizations as well. An "always on" culture was found to reduce job satisfaction and organizational commitment over time, while increasing turnover intention (Hochwarter et al., 2007). One study of over 2,000 employees estimated the financial cost of burnout and replacement at upwards of $5,000 per employee annually (Sullivan, 2018). Other costs include loss of productivity due to presenteeism - being physically at work but too distracted or disengaged to perform at full capacity (Oxford Economics, 2013).
To provide an industry example, in management consulting long hours are notoriously defended as "the cost of doing business." However, research suggests diminishing returns beyond 50 hours per week, as fatigue sets in (Vickers, 2019). One global firm acknowledged excessive overtime among junior consultants was lowering client satisfaction scores, leading them to cap billable hours and institute more stringent wellness policies (Jones, 2020).
Benefits of Balanced Boundaries
While dedication brings undeniable rewards, an "all or nothing" mentality risks burnout without sustainable practices and clearly defined boundaries between work and personal life. Recent studies suggest more balanced approaches can yield benefits to both individuals and organizations (Ibid).
At the individual level, limiting work hours helps reduce stress and promotes recovery, supporting better health and well-being over the long term (Sonnentag, 2018). It allows time for meaningful leisure activities shown to boost creativity, learning agility, and life satisfaction (Achor, 2010). Boundaries also enable quality time with family and friends—social connections critical to mental health but easily eroded by constant work demands (Holmes and Rahe, 1967).
By cultivating engaged, healthy employees, balanced boundaries may actually promote productivity and success. A large survey found more hours in the office did not correlate with higher performance ratings, demonstrating work intensity alone does not equate to quality or impact (Maxwell, 2021). Organizations that encourage reasonable limits report stronger engagement, discretionary effort, and lower turnover rates (Harter et al., 2002). Boundaries allow time for strategic thinking, learning, rest and recovery - all drivers of innovation and sustainable advantage.
Striking a Balance Within Your Industry Context
Given the diverse contexts across industries and roles, a "one-size-fits-all" approach is unrealistic. Success looks different depending on individual strengths, preferences, and industry demands. However, with careful planning, even notoriously demanding fields can cultivate engaging, self-renewing cultures.
For example, in financial services, one elite investment bank instituted annual wellness grants, sabbaticals every five years, and team-building activities to foster relationships and strategizing beyond daily "triage" work (Chopra, 2019). This supported higher morale, retention of top performers and productivity over the long run compared to industry peers still equating "face time" with commitment.
In tech, some startups experimenting with shorter working weeks or unlimited paid time off report boosts in ideation, quality of work, and loyalty even in hyper-competitive spaces (Parker, 2018). Others track individual tasks objectively rather than hours, or cap after-hours emails, freeing high-potentials from constant low-value work that depletes.
Setting intentions, priorities, and boundaries differently depending on life stage can also help retain high contributors considering alternatives like early retirement, contracting or jobs with more flexibility. Focusing on outcomes supports autonomy, engagement and sustainability as circumstances change.
Practical Strategies for Achieving Balance
Drawing on research and examples, how can busy professionals and organizations cultivate more balanced, sustainable success? Here are some practical strategies to consider:
Set expectations clearly at the outset. Discuss work norms, availability needs, and policies around vacation/sick time transparently to set the right pace.
Track time spent on tasks, not hours spent in the office. Measure impact and outcomes rather than face time. Continually assess value created through various activities.
Guard time for learning, strategizing and relationships. Block out time weekly for professional development, team building or networking to fuel innovation and morale over the long run.
Role model appropriate boundaries as a leader. Demonstrate that disconnecting periodically does not diminish commitment or derail initiatives. Maintain reasonable work-life rhythms yourself.
Encourage periods of deep work without interruption. Schedule focused time blocks to make significant progress on complex problems without constant disruption from emails or meetings.
Try no email/call hours. Experiment with disconnecting completely for set periods each day or week to promote recovery and strategic thinking beyond reactive "triage" mode.
Communicate that work can wait until tomorrow. Normalize taking time off fully without guilt. Return fully recharged and able to think more creatively.
Conclusion
An "always on" culture remains deeply embedded in many competitive industries and roles. However, research clearly shows that while dedication drives success initially, sustainability demands properly managing the toll of constant overwork over the long term.
By cultivating balanced, engaged employees through mechanisms that support health, learning, relationships and renewal, organizations can retain top talent and their institutional knowledge for decades—outperforming peers stuck in short-term "hurry up and burn out" mentalities. With careful planning and role modeling, even high-pace fields can strike the right work-life integration. Success leaves clues; let us learn wisely from both accomplishments and areas for growth. Overall well-being, balanced purposefully with productivity, should be the ultimate goal for individuals and employers alike.
References
Achor, S. (2010, January). The happiness advantage. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2010/01/the-happiness-advantage
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Chopra, D. (2019, October 18). Making partner work-life balance a priority. Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/making-partner-work-life-balance-a-priority-11571407200
Ganster, D. C., & Rosen, C. C. (2013). Work stress and employee health: A multidisciplinary review. Journal of Management, 39(5), 1085–1122. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0149206313475815
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Holmes, T. H., & Rahe, R. H. (1967). The social readjustment rating scale. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 11(2), 213–218. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0022399995900164
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Jones, S. (2020, January 10). Capping billable hours: One firm's wellness strategy. Consulting Magazine. https://www.consulting.us/news/4366/capping-billable-hours-one-firms-wellness-strategy
Maslach, C., Schaufeli, W. B., & Leiter, M. P. (2001). Job burnout. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 397-422. https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.397
Maxwell, J. (2021, June 15). Why working long hours doesn’t always equal higher performance. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jacobmorgan/2021/06/15/why-working-long-hours-doesnt-always-equal-higher-performance/
Oxford Economics. (2013). The cost of brain drain: Measuring the economic impact of employee disengagement and turnover in the UK and US economies. https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/uk/Documents/Consulting/deloitte-uk-cost-of-brain-drain.pdf
Parker, K. (2018, December 6). Among startups, unlimited paid time off is catching on. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/06/technology/start-ups-unlimited-paid-time-off.html
Shanafelt, T. D., & Noseworthy, J. H. (2017). Executive leadership and physician well-being: Nine organizational strategies to promote engagement and reduce burnout. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 92(1), 129-146. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025619616311958
Sonnentag, S. (2018). The recovery paradox: Portraying how nonwork activities can promote work engagement by reducing job stressors. Human Relations, 71(12), 1497–1517. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0018726717736948
Sullivan, A. M. (2018, July 20). The high cost of unhealthy employees. Society for Human Resource Management. https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine/summer2018/Pages/the-high-cost-of-unhealthy-employees.aspx
Thomas, C. (2019, February 14). The myth of the 70-hour workweek. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/14/smarter-living/the-myth-of-the-70-hour-workweek.html
Vickers, N. A. (2019). Factors that influence engagement and retention of millennials in the accounting profession. Journal of Accounting and Finance, 19(5), 114-126. https://www.na-businesspress.com/JAF/VickersNA_Web19_5_.pdf
Jonathan H. Westover, PhD is Chief Academic & Learning Officer (HCI Academy); Chair/Professor, Organizational Leadership (UVU); OD Consultant (Human Capital Innovations). Read Jonathan Westover's executive profile here.
Suggested Citation: Westover, J. H. (2024). If You're So Successful, Why Are You Still Working 70 Hours a Week? Exploring the Costs and Benefits of an Always-On Work Culture. Human Capital Leadership Review, 13(4). doi.org/10.70175/hclreview.2020.13.4.6
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