Let's stop glorifying hustle culture

The damaging effects of chronic overworking requires more than self-care. We need a serious culture shift, and policies should include the right to disconnect and raising the minimum wage.

Apr 12, 2021

Alexandra Ages (AA) is a graduate student at the Max Bell School of Public Policy. Her previous roles include food bank manager, administrative assistant, and freelance journalist, jobs that she held simultaneously while completing her undergraduate degree. Write us at newsletterthebell@gmail.com

INSTAGRAM REALLY WANTS me to have a morning routine. Specifically, the algorithm wants me to purchase an app that promises me streamlined, productive mornings. For under $10, I can begin my days with the knowledge that I am my most productive and efficient self, a person so optimized that one of my first waking acts is checking off items from my to-do list. This particular app, like so many other digital and physical products, is effectively selling the ability to become a better worker, in whatever context that may be.

“Hustle culture,” often defined as a culture that heavily emphasizes the constant pursuit of work in different forms, has merged with the self-optimization movement to produce a slew of products and ‘lifestyle choices’ aimed at normalizing a near-constant state of working. Far from increasing productivity, the relentless encroachment of excessive work has led to mass burnout, a phenomenon further compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. Hustle culture is harmful, and is an issue that requires solutions beyond individuals fighting for some semblance of work-life balance. Policy changes are needed to address the harms caused by a culture of overwork, both within workplaces themselves and beyond, just as changes need to be made to address the underlying causes for overwork, such as low wages.

Side hustles, be it driving for Uber, writing on Fiverr, or selling clothes on Depop, have become increasingly common amidst the pandemic, as COVID-19 lockdowns have threatened traditional streams of employment. Even pre-pandemic, however, such side hustles were common, and more than that, were glamourized. The side hustle lifestyle, of working a 9-5 and then going home and working in a different capacity, has long been promoted and popularized, not simply as a way of earning extra income, but as a way of being. To have a side hustle is to be ambitious, motivated, and resourceful; side hustles have also managed to become highly gendered within certain contexts, launching the rise of the so-called ‘girlboss.’

In truth, however, such side hustles are a sad reflection of societal failures. I’m sure that there are those who genuinely enjoy their side gigs but I find it hard to believe that the retail worker driving Uber until midnight after their day-time shift at a store truly enjoys the ‘hustle,’ or that the single mom peddling essential oils to high school acquaintances genuinely adores the work. Most people do not want to spend their limited spare time working what are effectively second and third jobs, and yet hustle culture has allowed such a lifestyle to be viewed as exemplary, rather than a reflection of inadequate wages for workers.

Even beyond the financial element, however, hustle culture has roots intertwined with a broader trend of tying self-worth to productivity. This tendency begins early, with young teenagers taught that their value stems from the number of awards, athletic accomplishments, and high grades, rather than being taught that they have intrinsic worth far beyond the bullet points of a CV. The results of this can be devastating, and can lead to a lasting outlook on life where activities are pursued not for the sake of joy, but to add a new accomplishment on LinkedIn. Be it the overwhelming exhaustion of working multiple jobs, or the tragedy of young lives lost due to overwhelming pressures for self-optimization and accomplishment, the harms of hustle culture are pervasive.

Even for those able to live off of one income stream, hustle culture can still be deeply harmful. Workplaces that prioritize constant availability, in the form of working long hours in a physical office or simply always being available to answer a call, email, or Teams message, can lead to high levels of employee burnout. With the rise of Zoom and working from home, the boundaries between work and life have become increasingly blurred, increasing the risk of burnout on a widespread scale.

Oftentimes, the issues caused by the mass prevalence of hustle culture are addressed through calls to individual action. Burnout is seen as something that can be solved through better time management and self-care, as though running a bubble bath in the evening is enough to cancel out the exhaustion of a 70-hour work week. Individual solutions will not fix what is fundamentally a systemic problem. Within workplaces, burnout can be better addressed by management setting clear boundaries between work and life. This can look like management setting an example by not overworking themselves, and by respecting employee’s time by not sending work-related emails outside of work hours. France, already notable as a nation with a relatively healthy work-life balance, took this particular policy a step further by outright implementing a "right to disconnect" law at the national level, ensuring employees in large firms are not pressured to respond to emails outside of working hours. Beyond workplaces, broader systemic changes are also needed. Increasing the minimum wage to account for inflation is one critical policy option that can address hustle culture, and recent discussions in Canada around policies such as the implementation of a Universal Basic Income similarly offer an opportunity to address the root causes of over-work. Added protections for gig workers are another avenue of policy development, particularly as gig work becomes increasingly pervasive.

Even beyond government policy, the pervasiveness of hustle culture is such that the harms it causes can only be fully mitigated by a cultural shift in how we conceptualize work. Far from being seen as lazy, rest can be re-envisioned as radical, a movement in thinking espoused by organizations such as the Nap Ministry. So too can we as a collective step back and evaluate if work solely for the sake of work truly has value to it, or if perhaps we are overdue for a fundamental change regarding what elements of life we prioritize. Ultimately, there is a need for a societal shift, with recognition of the fact that life has meaning far beyond working for work’s sake.

Hustle culture is harmful, yet reflects far greater societal issues. Change is needed at all levels, and now, as we collectively build the post-pandemic recovery, is an opportune moment to truly shift our relationships with work. (AA)

Let's stop glorifying hustle culture

The damaging effects of chronic overworking requires more than self-care. We need a serious culture shift, and policies should include the right to disconnect and raising the minimum wage.

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