Hustle Culture is Dead. Welcome to Human Culture. 

Most people don’t believe me when I say the pandemic killed Hustle Culture. Call it Burnout Culture, Workism, Fear Culture or Hustle Porn. Research shows it leads to failure rather than success. According to a recent study from Deloitte, 77% percent of people are experiencing burnout on the job, and only 20% globally are engaged at work Gallup states. The Great Resignation is only one of the small ripples showing that people have had enough, with 74% of the disengaged actively looking for work. Instead, companies that lean into Human Culture stand to win the war of talent and build sustainable growth. 

Burnout is about your organization, not your people. 

“If you want to address the burnout problem, the first step is repeating and internalizing this mantra: burnout is about your organization, not your people. Yoga, vacation time, wellness tech, and meditation apps can help people feel optimized, healthier. But when it comes to preventing burnout, suggesting that these tools are the cure is dangerous,” says burnout expert Jennifer Moss in “The Burnout Epidemic.” 

You can’t yoga yourself out of burnout. There will always be too much to do. Tech overload, competing priorities, and “growth at all costs” mentality leads us to extend our workdays. Overloading yourself with useless meetings, back-to-back Zoom calls, and Reply ALL emails to CYOA is not a sustainable strategy. 

We need more clarity in priorities, shared values, and common purpose. We need sustainable growth. Studies show that purpose-driven companies show three times increase in market share and grow three times faster on average than their competitors, all while achieving higher workforce and customer satisfaction. 

Even the GodFather of Hustle Culture, Gary Vaynerchuk talks about kindness as the most underrated skill in business. “People talk about choosing money over happiness and mental peace, but It’s a silly, naive convo and it needs to stop. Money is great and all, but when you focus on peace of mind and happiness, so much good shit happens.”

The future of work 

“The future isn’t about where we work, but how,” say Anne Helen Peterson and Charlie Warzel in their latest book: “Out of Office.”

During the pandemic, companies saw that remote work was possible. We saw that employees can be trusted. Employees saw they could focus on the work that matters. As a result, some sectors like finance and consulting saw an increase of over 70 percent in productivity, while others suffered without proper systems and tools in place. 

People realized they have leverage – to decide where, how, and why work gets done. We reached the “Tipping Point” to use Malcolm Gladwell’s expression. There’s no turning back. Once we see what’s possible, we can’t unsee it. Instead of spending 14 hours in an office with a two-hour commute, you can get your work done in eight hours and take breaks with your dog. Instead of putting in 70 hour work week, you can work 4-days. As long as mentally you can disconnect from work, you have more time to spend with family, exercise, and even take a nap. When you feel better, you perform better too. 

Who says that you have to work 9 to 5? 

Who says that you have to sit in a cubicle? 

Who says that you have to respond to an email at 10 pm? 

“Born Digital” – the Gen Z and Millennials are not interested in returning to the office to the tune of 90%. Instead, they prefer a hybrid workplace. They want flexibility, autonomy, and freedom. They choose their mental health before material success. Yet, 58 percent of leaders believe that young workers want to spend most of their time working in the office—a major disconnect. 

Hustle Culture is dead. People killed it. It’s time to make space for Human Culture. It will take time to eradicate it from our society and culture, but small ripples have begun. Small ripples create big waves. Mind workers have the power, freedom, and opportunities to choose who they work for and from where. 

The companies that move from Hustle Culture to Human Culture will gain a competitive advantage. The ones that don’t will be left behind.