The importance of competitiveness appears to have reappeared in the dictionary of global corporate culture. I don't know if that is due to all the recent visibility into tariffs and international competition, or because the impact of “long-term corporate covid” has finally faded. For some reason, I see more and more people talking about the challenge of reestablishing a competitive work ethic to fully participate in new economic opportunities around the world. Unfortunately, these conversations revolve around working hours too often.
European venture capitalists have recently speculated that perhaps continental startups should adopt the 9-9-6 model promoted by Chinese companies, and have asked people to work six days a week, from 9am to 6pm. Yes, that's 72 hours for people who don't do math. During my career, I consulted with many companies that promoted such a schedule. When I graduated from university in the late '80s, I spent several years on my own. Here we acknowledge that we simply establish credibility when it comes to understanding the benefits and costs of driving employees, rather than bragging or complaining.
And you can confidently say that it is not a good idea.
Now let's make it clear that I'm not one of the “soft” people who defend the fuzzy definition of work-life balance. For example, I don't think people were as productive as working from home in the aftermath of Covid. Those who claimed to be true didn't have actual data to support their hypotheses, and were usually motivated by their own desire to avoid commuting and the need to wear pants.
I am also not a supporter of the idea that government regulations require employees to be protected from evil employers. Over the past 30 years, I have witnessed the costs of European law. This made it impossible for leaders to push people harder, making it impossible for them to fire employees who don't want to work hard for them. It was a massive competitive disadvantage for them, and it has sneaked into the US in recent years, which executives and wise lawmakers are trying to unleash today.
As an example of the absurdity that permeates corporate culture around the world, I was recently told by an Australian leader that there was a law prohibiting employees from contacting managers outside of working hours. I think it's called the right to cut off the law. Australia is encouraged to consider enacting another law that allows employers to cut off from employees they sign up for.
Again, I don't want to choose Australia or Europe. Because many false people in the United States and elsewhere in the world are promoting the same thing in their countries. What I want to do is that focusing on working hours, whether you're a company or a council, lacks a true competitive point.
What we promote and encourage is not how much time people spend, but the amount of hunger and passion for what they are doing. And while people certainly have to be willing to work long hours when circumstances require it, that's not a good measure of real commitment. Ultimately, what we should hope for is more than a person's time is their sense of personal ownership and responsibility. We want them to choose to do heroic things for their clients and colleagues.
Hungry employees can make their own decisions when they need to quit their job early, in order to attend school activities for their children or to look after their flu spouse. They find creative ways to make up for lost time and volunteer to help their teammates do the same in unpredictable or special circumstances. Perhaps most importantly, they are so grateful for the trust and flexibility they have given them that they become more loyal and commit to their managers and employers. Rather than counting the number of hours they find a way to work and game the system, they go beyond that.
When leaders create this kind of reality, the right people will be rewarded. Others are given the “opportunity” to adapt to adapt, quit and find a place to work, or to have management work elsewhere. Either way, they certainly aren't protected. And ultimately, companies that embrace hunger and passion for working hours create a climate where a rational, sustainable work-life balance is consistent with competitiveness and economic vitality.
