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Why people are quitting hustle culture
Summary
As conversations around burnout gain momentum, many are rethinking their ties to the hustle lifestyle
Sushant Mehta, a former marketing manager at a Hyderabad-based start-up, always believed the only way to climb the professional ladder was to work seven days a week. Every waking hour of the day, he was either engrossed in market research or making reports, until the day he realised he was completely burnt out.
“It took a hit on my productivity and I eventually lost my job," says Mehta, 34. “The boss who praised my consistent efforts turned his back on me when my health deteriorated."
Today, Mehta runs an independent practice and is much happier.
The glorification of hustle culture isn’t a new phenomenon. It started generations ago, when burning the midnight oil was being propagated as perhaps the only way to create a successful professional life. And it continues to be applauded. In fact, last year, Infosys founder Narayana Murthy sparked a discussion with his statement that a 70-hour workweek must become a norm to increase India’s productivity.
But post-pandemic, a different reality has also emerged. Hustle culture may be counterproductive in many ways.
Also read: India's workplace unhappiness problem persists
“Hustle culture emerged from the belief that relentless hard work and long hours are essential for achieving success. It was propagated as an indicator of success because working long hours and sacrificing personal time were seen as signs of dedication and ambition," says Mamta Mohapatra, professor of organisational behaviour and human resource at International Management Institute, Delhi. “(But post pandemic) people started realising the importance of health, family, and personal well-being. Remote work blurred the boundaries between professional and personal life, leading to burnout and a re-evaluation of the hustle culture. While it didn’t entirely end its glorification, it challenged the notion that constant work equates to success."
That’s an approach some employees are beginning to adopt to live the soft life, where there’s some sense of work-life balance. But are people really quitting the hustle race or is this a temporary phase?
When the first covid wave hit in 2020, Sutanu Sharma, who worked at a marketing automation company, experienced helplessness following the reduction of his projects in the initial months.
He offered to launch new campaigns owing to the fear of losing his job. By “taking more initiative", he would be in a safe position, he thought.
A few months later, his parents had to be hospitalised because of the virus. That’s when Sharma wanted to take a long leave, but his superiors refused. “I realised then that I was neglecting my family’s and my own needs. Work was an addiction and the desire to grow in my career overpowered me to such an extent that everything else around me seemed insignificant. Today, I am more careful about my physical and mental health. My current job profile is similar to the last one but offers more flexibility," says Sharma, 39.
In her book, The AntiHustle (2017), author Nicole Purvy wrote, “The hustle culture is focused on the amount of work and sacrifices you’re making to be successful. We need to change the mindset and find new ways of working things, because what you do will never be enough."
Keeping this in mind, some companies are gradually beginning to take notice and value individual preferences and diverse work styles, says Prof. Mohapatra. “There’s a greater shift towards personalised career paths and flexible working conditions that cater to unique needs and aspirations, fostering a more inclusive professional environment."
Karthik Sridharan, co-founder and chief executive officer of Bengaluru-headquartered Flexiple, an AI-powered tech hiring platform, has an interesting observation. According to him, it’s all about striking the right balance.
“When new entrepreneurs see a lot of companies doing the same thing, they try to follow the herd. Whether it’s a hustle culture or an extremely relaxed culture, I don’t think there is any one size," he says. “You have to do what it takes to build a positive environment for employees, but also ensure that your business survives."
The secret to building a sustainable work environment requires conscious changes," says Sridharan. “Founders must understand that this kind of (overworking) working style can’t be sustained over long periods. Having that expectation from your employees is incorrect. But at the same time, I think there will be times when companies have to work really hard to survive. Therefore, there is no constant state of one or the other."
Some offices are embracing the shift and implementing policies like flexible working hours and remote work options. “Flexible working arrangements enable workers to effectively plan their time, including work hours, which offer more satisfaction. Effective adoption of more employee-first wellness programmes can also help to bolster retention levels and boost productivity," says Hariom Seth, founder of Tagglabs, a Gurugram-based tech-based marketing agency.
While this is a step in the right direction, there’s one ground rule that Ankit Mathur, co-founder and chief executive of Mumbai-based Greenway Grameen, a clean cookstoves provider, prefers to stick with. “Smart work and honesty will always remain desirable traits in professionals in some form or the other, even if overworking goes out of fashion," he says.
Purvy said something similar in her book: “The only reason you have to hustle is because you don’t have a plan. A better way to work is taking advantage of patience, skills and opportunities to work toward a vision rather than haphazard hustle."
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