The Cult of Overwork is Killing Startups - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

The Cult of Overwork is Killing Startups - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog The New York Times has a great article called?In Silicon Valley, Working 9 to 5 Is for Losers that examines workaholism in startups. It even quotes one entrepreneur as saying ?I rarely get to see my kids. That?s a risk you have to take.? I wonder if he asked his kids if that was a risk they were willing to take. The piece also quotes from this excellent article by David Heinemeier Hansson, where he points out that startup investors are the main driver of this culture: There?s an ingrained mythology around startups that not only celebrates burn-out efforts, but damn well requires it. It?s not hard to understand why such a mythology serves the interest of money men who spread their bets wide and only succeed when unicorns emerge. There?s little to no consequence to them if the many fall by the wayside, spent to completion trying to hit that home run. Make me rich or die tryin?. It?s bullshit. Extractive, counterproductive bullshit peddled by people who either need a narrative to explain their personal sacrifices and regrets or who are in a position to treat the lives and wellbeing of others like cannon fodder. These two articles do a great job of exposing the toxic overwork culture in many startups but I just want to add five few quick points on the topic: 1: If hours are all that matter, an entrepreneur working 80 hours a week will be beaten by one working 90 hours a week. Where does it end? 2: Many of the mental qualities that make a startup successful are lost when people are overworked, tired, stressed and unhappy, including networking, creativity and effective decision making. 3: Permanent overwork kills people. For instance,?those working a 55-hour week face 33% increased risk of stroke. 4: Permanent overwork?doesnt result in increased output. 5: Pointing to successful startups that worked 80 hours a week proves nothing. What about all the startups that worked 90 hours a week and failed? Imagine starting your own company and ending up creating a workplace where you hate to work. How stupid is that? On the other hand, employees of a startup where people are happy to work and have full lives outside of work, will be more productive, motivated and innovative, boosting the startups chance of success. Even if working crazy long hours did enhance a startups chance of success (which it does not), it would still be wrong because it hurts employees physically and psychologically. Related posts Always being busy kills productivity and how to avoid it How to succeed in business if youre not a morning person Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related