Running Head: ERADICATING HUSTLE CULTURE IMPROVES EFFICIENCY

Eradicating Hustle Culture Will Improve Efficiency in the Workplace

Gouthami Pillai

G0085113

School of Business Administration

American University of Sharjah

Author’s Note:

This paper was prepared for ENG204 Advanced Academic Writing, taught by Professor

Adnan Ajsic.
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Abstract

The objective of this paper is to argue that hustle culture is a bane in the workplace.

The trend has been romanticized among the youth, and is it grows in popularity within work

environments, this research paper aims to highlight the most detrimental effects while

addressing possible counter claims as well. Beginning with a guide into the antecedents of

hustle culture, the thesis is then supported by a three tiered argument. The first claim discuss

the negative impacts on the physical health of hustle culture proponents, then followed by the

ill effects on mental health. The paper then delves into the role of hustle culture amongst

colleagues and how it can weaken work relationships. Solutions have been put forward to

combat the issue, addressing both the Human Resource Department of business organizations

as well as the society at large. This research paper will thus convince the general public to

discourage the spread of hustle culture and instead, adopt healthier alternatives within the

workplace.

Keywords: hustle culture, workaholism, excessive working, work engagement, work

relationships
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Eradicating Hustle Culture Will Improve Efficiency in the Workplace

Introduction

Currently, about 10% of the general US population engage in a workaholic lifestyle

(Kirrane, Breen, & O'connor, 2017) with international studies reporting higher rates – it is

considered one of the most common current addictions in Westernized [Link] study of

industrial-organizational psychology is an essential aspect of the Human Resource

Development (HRD) department which accounts for research into the latest trends in the

work field. Consequently, adequate research needs to be done into one such trend among the

current working population - workaholism, a term now referred to as hustle culture. Defined

as the culture of valuing accomplishment, hustle culture refers to considering work the central

life aspect (Molino, Cortese, & Ghislieri, 2018). The trend revolves around performative

workaholism, with individuals working excessively sparing even sleep, meals, and important

events. With the likes of Gary Vaynerchuk’s talks and podcasts revolving around hustling,

and Nike’s 2015 “Rise and Grind” advertisement campaign, a plethora of media is constantly

promoting this mindset.

Terms related to hustle culture include “workaholism”, “work addiction”, “work

addiction”, and “excessive working”. In theory, “excessive workers” or “workaholics” refer

to proponents of hustle culture who have fallen victim to the same. This research paper

includes an analysis of the workforce within an organization as a whole, due to which “co-

workers” will refer to the employees working alongside excessive workers. An alternate term

to refer to co-workers is “regular employees”, an indication of the normal workload they take

up, as opposed to the large workload undertaken by excessive workers.

Hustle culture especially resonates with individuals who regard their work with the

utmost importance. This research paper aims to answer the question of whether or not hustle

culture is a positive trend in the workplace, providing various claims against the same.
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Additional questions to answer would be figuring out how the trend comes about, what

differentiates an excessive worker from a regular employee and how the workplace morphs

when excessive workers are present. With the ill-effects of hustle culture being so prominent,

it needs to be eradicated both from the individual as well as the work life.

Antecedents of Hustle Culture

Defining the antecedents of hustle culture helps streamline the factors and determine

possible solutions. Various antecedents play a role in the spread of this culture, with personal

experiences, cultural background, and work environment being the most prominent. In a

study conducted by Clark, Michel, Zhdanova, Pui, and Baltes (2016), a large positive

correlation was found between workaholism and perfectionism. Defined as the tendency of

striving towards flawlessness and maintaining high personal standards, it revolves around

setting unrealistic expectations (Spagnoli, et al., 2020). Blended with a high level of self-

criticism, an excessive amount of time and effort is spent in order to achieve the desired level

of performance, which ultimately translates into workaholism. Perfectionists are driven by

feeling guilty about not working, owing to the constant plugging of hustle culture in the

media. The study conducted in 2016 (Clark et al.) also found that workaholics do not

necessarily enjoy the nature of their work, but instead enjoy simply working. While they

might not particularly derive pleasure from performing work, they tend to experience

Negative Affect (NA) while not working, which refers to negative emotions and poor self-

esteem. As mentioned by Spagnoli and his colleagues (2020), there are negative tendencies of

perfectionism that show often, such as excessive work-related stress, constant worry about

living up to expectations, and massive disappointment if the sky-high goals are not achieved.

Additionally, in an attempt to perform every task to perfection, they tend to require an

excessive amount of time to perform even the most menial tasks, rendering their work

inefficient. 
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Perfectionism is simply one of the personality factors visible amongst proponents of

hustle culture. In 2010, a study conducted on working students concluded that extroversion,

neuroticism, and openness to experience positively correlated to workaholism as well (Clark,

Lelchook, & Taylor). This falls in line with the most commonly researched set of personality

traits, the Big Five (i.e.; extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness,

conscientiousness, and neuroticism).

In addition to personal factors, a lot of work-related factors play a role in the

widespread trend of hustle culture. A regression analysis conducted on various career-related

variables by Spurk et al. (2016) found that major factors contributing to workaholism were

career goals, career insecurity and career commitment. Surprisingly, despite the high effort

put in by workaholics, levels of workaholism are positively correlated with career insecurity

(Spurk et al., 2016). The same study also showed a negative relationship between

workaholism and perceived organizational support – which meant the more support

employees perceived they received from their organization, the less workaholism tendencies

they would show. Thus, the organizational climate is a major aspect owing to hustle culture

within the workplace. Work design in some countries, mainly south-Asian countries like

Japan and China (Laurence, Fried, Yan, & Li, 2020) is crafted in a way that supports a high

work drive, neglecting the ill-effects of the same. It ultimately becomes the role of job design

to uses techniques that best matches employees to their jobs (Laurence, Fried, Yan, & Li,

2020). It is therefore, quintessential for organizations to manage their organizational climate

in a way that does not render the job highly competitive or with a high job demand (Keller et

al., 2016).  

Negative Impacts on Physical Health

Working intensively poses a severe risk for these workers’ physical health. A study

conducted by Burke, Matthiesen, and Pallesen (2006) concluded that excessive workers
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reported the highest number of health complaints and requested the most time off. A study

conducted in 2015 among Japanese industrial workers also concluded that workaholism

predicted impaired health as well as lower life satisfaction in the future (Shimazu et al.) Since

the complete focus of intensive workers is devoted to their work, everything else becomes

secondary, including concern for their health. Less attention and time is spent on their

physical health, which ultimately leads to the employees recognizing symptoms far too late.

Stress is one of the main factors owing to their decreased physical health. Due to the

intensive workload, they take on, stress is undoubtedly a resultant.. Mentioned in the previous

section, burnout is a consequence of mental stress. Job burnout has multiple health related

effects, such as heart disease, Type 2 Diabetes, decreased immune system and substance

abuse (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2018). The circular relationship between workaholism and job

burnout is caused due to workaholics having lower levels of recovery and recuperation as

compared to their regularly-working co-workers. As noted by Taris and colleagues, being

unable to recovery sufficiently reduces an individual’s immunity and eventually render them

inefficient in the workplace due to having a poorer health (2005). With excessive workers

working constantly, not only do the working hours become longer, but the time for leisure

becomes shorter. This is one of the prominent reasons owing to slow recovery, as time runs

short between sleep and rest (Fujimoto, 2014). Consequently, intensive workers have an

increased risk of high blood pressure, insomnia, and metabolic syndrome (Spagnoli, et al.,

2020).

These studies all prove that higher the work drive, higher the risk of low physical

health. These sleep disorders make their presence known in the workplace as well – with

drowsiness on the job and difficulty waking up, leading to tardiness (Fujimoto, 2014). Those

suffering physical illness also request more time off from work, or often even resign or retire

early due to excessive fatigue, which impacts the employee turnover of the organization.
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Employee turnover refers to the number of employees that leave the organization during a

specific time period (Roder, 2019). Not only is a high employee turnover bad for the image of

an organization, but also increases the costs due to the hiring process. The process of

onboarding new employees includes the recruitment, interview and training costs.

Possible Worker Exceptions

However, proponents of hustle culture may argue that the effects on physical health

are subjective for different intensive workers. In Fujimoto’s study, an in-depth research was

conducted into different categories of workaholics – with the main groups being “work

driven”, “work enjoyment”, and “work involvement” (2014). The study concluded that a

negative correlation between workaholism and physical health was found only between the

“work driven” and “work involvement” categories. This meant that those who truly derived

enjoyment from the work they did, did not have any consequent ill-effects on their physical

health. In fact, those who falling under the “work enjoyment” category seemed to show a

positive correlation between workaholism and physical health.

Nonetheless, this does not mean that people who find meaning and enjoyment in their

work do not face health hazards. The more enjoyment they derive translates into more hours

spent at work. The cycle of stress and burnout then begins, ultimately converting “work

enjoyment” workaholics into “work driven” workaholics. As studies have proven, when the

working hours increase, the risk of damage t health also consequently increases. Thus, every

individual should lead a vocational lifestyle that takes health into account as well. Changing

employees lifestyle habits, thus, is not just the task of each individual employee but of the

workplace managers as well.

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Ill Effects on Mental Well-being

Hustle culture greatly impacts worker’s mental well-being as well. Anchored in

Person–Situation Interaction Theory and Attribution Theory (Kirrane, Breen, & O'connor,

2017), the outcomes of hustle culture include stress, burnout, and low career and life

satisfaction. High levels of stress is one of the most harmful consequences of hustle culture,

with the heavy mental stress affecting every aspect of their like, both within and without the

work environment. Job burnout is a special type of stress wherein an individual is in a state of

physical and emotional exhaustion a loses their self-identity (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2018).

Burnout has multiple possible reasons with the most prominent ones being a lack of control

over the work, dysfunctional workplace dynamics, an imbalance between work life and social

life, and unclear job expectations. A circular pattern is formed, wherein job stress leads to a

burnout, and a burnout once again leads to stress, among other consequences such as fatigues,

insomnia, and irritability.

Essentially, there is a strong negative correlation between workaholism and subjective

well-being (SWB), with a particularly negative relationship with the primary component of

SWB, life satisfaction (Aziz & Zickar, 2006). Among a sample of employees from various

white-collar organizations, Aziz and Zickar concluded that a higher level of life

dissatisfaction was noticed amongst workaholics as compared to regular employees. This

could be due to their lack of separation of time for leisure and relaxation, leading to a

monotonous lifestyle with a low quality (Vodanovich and Piotrowski, 2006). Work addicts

report more conflicts within their personal and social relationships as compared to regular

employees, which could lead to a lower SWB (Matuska, 2010). Other factors could also play

a part, such as marital conflicts, familial fall-outs, and loneliness and abandonment felt by

their children. Hustle culture proponents often establish themselves as absent in everyday
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family life and important occasions due to their extensive work pattern and lack of

engagement. This cycles back into stress due to their workload. Workaholics also often

express regret in regards to family life and relationships outside work due to not devoting

enough time and [Link] factors leading to a lower Subjective Well-Being eventually

link workaholism to job dissatisfaction, stress, insomnia and health complaints (Caesens,

Stinglhamber, and Luypaert, 2014).

Correlation with Mental Disorders

As noted by Spagnoli and his colleagues, numerous mental disorders come about as a

result of hustle culture as well, with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder being the most common

disorder, as well as perfectionism (2020). Perfectionism, which was discussed in the previous

section as one of the major antecedents of hustle culture, translates into a mental disorder

when blown out of proportion. The strain on mental health was also recognized by the

Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in Japan when it set up Project Team as a measure to

combat suicide, depression and other related problems. Published in May 2010, one of the

central themes of the report was “Enhancing mental health measures in the workplace and

support for workplace reinstatement – Promoting the creation of workplaces where each

individual is valued” (Ministry of Labor, Health and Welfare). Only a few months later, in

September 2010, a report was published, which included a proposal for a “new framework

leading to better workplace environments with consideration for privacy”.

The line between work addiction and excessive enthusiasm is quite thin, which is why

scholars have defined specific criteria to demarcate the border such as salience, mood

modification, tolerance and withdrawal symptoms (Andreassen et al., 2016). The authors’

research into workaholism and its correlation with physiological disorders found a link

between hustle culture and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Much of the

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adult population diagnosed with ADHD have a an impulsive nature which causes them to say

“yes” and take on more tasks than they can handle – which is a cause for over working.

Additionally, their hyperactive nature causes them to constantly be working without a need to

pause and relax, in an attempt to relieve their restlessness. These “attention-deficit

workaholics” thus showcase symptoms extremely similar to ADHD, and yet is currently

idealized in the media. The concern for employees’ mental health is therefore evident and

requires the intervention of medical personnel.

Workaholism in Teams

Those adopting the workaholism mindset are particularly averted to working

cooperatively in groups with co-workers (Kirrane, Breen, & O'connor, 2017). Roping back

into the perfectionism antecedent, workaholics prefer working on their own so as to have

complete control over their work. Additionally, they don’t receive the same amount of effort

from their co-workers’ side as they put into their work, and thus, don’t trust other’s work. On

the flip side, co-workers tend to form negative feelings towards the workaholics due to the

constant pressure applied with the continuous inspection of their work, or having them

completely taking over a project (Moyer & Aziz, 2018). Peer relationships within the

workplace get compromised as a result of these clashing work ethics. Thus, a competitive

mindset develops among the employees within the organization wherein they constantly work

against each other rather than with each other.

The HRD department has to consider the major disadvantages that this poses within

the workplace. Firstly, the conflict within the workplace leads to poor employee relationships

and a lack of connection with each other. This invariably leads to a lack of motivation within

the organization, resulting in poorer, inefficient performance from the employees. Secondly,

the tension and animosity within the workplace compromise the work environment of all the

workers (Kirrane, Breen, & O'connor, 2017). With a positive environment being one of the
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deciding factors while choosing a job, having a negative work environment come up simply

due to a few intensive workers is extremely inefficient. A third point to consider is the

resulting high staff turnover. While there can be a number of uncontrollable factors leading to

a high employee turnover rate, the image created translates into: the company has an

unsuitable work environment, causing employees to leave. This is a cause of concern not only

for the Human Resources team but for the Public Relations (PR) department as well.

Potential Positive Impacts

Some studies, however, mention that co-workers sometimes advocate hustle culture as

they draw inspiration from the intensive workers around them (Kirrane, Breen, & O'connor,

2017). In contrast to their generally lax attitude towards work-at-hand, intensive workers are

always on top of their tasks and focusing on future tasks as well. This can often serve as

motivation to complete their own tasks. Especially while working in teams, observing the

work ethic of intensive workers gives co-workers an idea of how to tackle the problem. They

may even perform better than they might have individually.

However, this inspiration is definitely situation-based. Co-workers have pointed out

the difference between “working to live” and “living to work” (Kirrane, Breen, & O'connor,

2017) and still value their personal time off work. Moreover, this inspiration drawn from

workaholics can be offset by the intensive workers themselves. As mentioned by Kirrane,

Breen and O’connor, with these intensive workers having their focus completely on their

work, they tend to come off as troubling for colleagues who unwittingly impair their career

progress.

Solutions

Undoubtedly, the spread of hustle culture has brought forth inefficiency within the

workplace, an issue that needs to be tackled by every business organization. Consequently,

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few solutions have been put forward. First, having frequent meetings and team-building

workshops would greatly help build the sense of teamwork within the organization.

Highlighting the negative effects of intensive working on the workers’ physical and mental

health would raise self-awareness on the same. Team-building exercises also promote

building personal bonds with colleagues in the workspace. With a stronger bond, intensive

workers would feel less mental stress due to better work relationships, which would

eventually translate into their relationships outside the workplace as well. Additionally, a

closer bond with co-workers would make workaholics more susceptible to delegating tasks

and would be less likely to take up the brunt of the work by themselves.

A second solution to be considered by the Human Resource Development team is to

redesign the employees’ jobs and tasks in a manner that does not promote hustle culture. As

intensive working could be a coping strategy to meet high work demands, focus of the HRD

department should be on reducing the employees’ workload. (Spagnoli, et al., 2020).

Additionally, companies should redefine their success. An organization that values

productivity over the quality of output tends to become competitive and highly political.

Although restructuring the entire work organization would come at additional costs, they are

quite outweighed by the benefits of reducing the work inefficiency.

A potential solution to keep the co-workers in the organization inspired by the

intensive workers would be to highlight the positive and motivational techniques of the

intensive workers in a nuanced way. These serve as a non-financial incentive for the intensive

workers, which ultimately translates into building their self-esteem and mental health, as well

as motivates co-workers who may not have noticed their efforts previously. However,

organizations do have to define the difference between hard work and excessive work to

make sure they do not promote hustle culture.

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Conclusion

Organizations face a threat due to the spread of hustle culture among the working

population. Employees face a number of ill-effects on their mental and physical health as a

consequence and find working in a team much more tedious. These bring about a sense of

animosity within the workspace, which eventually translates into a negative work

environment, and thus, a high employee turnover rate for the organization. Research into the

antecedents of workaholism concluded that the effects could be due to personal factors, such

as in-built perfectionism, neuroticism and agreeableness, and work-related factors, such as

the organizational climate and the work design. Therefore, it becomes the task of every

organization to focus on the minimization of hustle culture idealism within the workplace. A

few suggestions for the same were put forth, revolving around promotion of teamwork and

building work relationships, job re-structuring, and devising non-financial incentives to keep

the employees motivated and satisfied in their job. Bringing these suggestions into fruition

would help convert the current, inefficiently functioning workforce, into a more effective

one.
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