BIG TECH BURNOUT

Many tech firms demand their staff work long hours. Barry Collins examines the toll it's taking on employee wellbeing

- Barry Collins

Sixty hours a week “is the sweet spot of productivity”, according to a recent leaked memo written by Google co-founder Sergey Brin. Sixty hours? Man up, Sergey. The Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy called for young staff to work 70-hour weeks, claiming “I don't believe in work-life balance”.

Seventy hours a week is dialling it in, according to Alibaba founder Jack Ma, a big fan of China's “996” work culture, which entails working from 9am to 9pm six days a week. “If you find something you like, there is no such thing as 996; if you don't like it or don't love it, going to work is torture every minute,” he stated in a 2019 blog post, translated from Chinese. (See “What's it like to work 996?” on p37.)

Even if you absolutely love your job, there's no shortage of evidence that working all the hours the big tech bosses demand is akin to torture - damaging to your physical wellbeing, as well as your mental health. In March, a survey from ISACA, a global professional association, found that 61% of IT staff said that a heavy workload was contributing to their high levels of workplace stress and burnout, while more than 40% said tight deadlines (44%) and long hours (42%) were impacting their wellbeing.

For all the free healthcare, gym memberships and six-figure salaries big tech companies offer, is signing up for one of their demanding jobs in effect writing off your own wellbeing?

Killing yourself at your desk

There's no shortage of evidence that working the long hours many of the big tech firms demand is detrimental to your health. It might not be sending miners down a coal pit, but the effects on employees' health can be every bit as serious.