What kind of worker are you? What would your friends and family say?

In a recent 2006 article, authors Sylvia Hewlett and Carolyn Luce published findings regarding their study of "extreme workers"; and from my vantage point, the results were predictable. Hewlett and Luce define the extreme worker as someone who works more than 60 hours a week, has 24/7 client demands, an unpredictable work flow, and tight deadlines. For far too many of us, this is a very familiar work environment. An examination of current workforce trends reveals an escalating number of extreme workers. A non-stop work-style once exclusive to the executive suite is now finding its ways to all levels of knowledge worker positions.

What forces are driving this trend?
  • Competing pressures for top jobs
  • Stimulation derived from the extreme ethos that pervades our society
  • Blurring of boundaries between professional and personal life
  • Intellectually stimulating encounters produced by knowledge work
  • Exponential growth of knowledge workers
  • Global reach of most companies
Many find this type of work-style financially rewarding, intellectually stimulating, and personally challenging-all powerful motivators to work even more. However, some of these individuals are even developing an addictive dependency on the stimulation that extreme work provides.

Unfortunately, there is a severe downside to being an extreme worker. Years ago, such individuals were characterized as "workaholics" and, as with anything we do to an extreme (addiction), our health, relationships, and employment are at an enourmous risk. In this respect, nothing has changed. Here are some sobering statistics uncovered by the Hewitt and Luce research:
  • 36% of extreme workers aged 25-34 say they will likely leave their jobs within a year
  • 69% say they would be healthier if they worked less extremely
  • 58% think their extreme jobs get in the way of strong relationships with their children
  • 65% of respondents say they would decline a promotion if it demanded more of their energy
Having been an extreme worker, and currently observing the extreme workers around me, I can tell you that most of the time and energy spent is wasted effort. Poorly run meetings, lack of planning, ill-defined requirements, sloppy execution, frantic and ineffective communication, and, frankly, just poor thinking all are contributing to the perceived need to work such tremendous hours.

The more people work like this, the more time they pour into their jobs. Unfortunately, the extra time is actually giving them less return for their efforts. Many are operating like an old cell phone battery that has been drained and re-charged one too many times-it takes longer to refresh and the power runs out quickly.

Source reference:
Extreme Jobs: The Dangerous Allure of the 70-Hour Workweek, by Sylvia Ann Hewlett and Carolyn Buck Luce, Harvard Business Review OnPoint Article, 2006.