03) Toxic Productivity Culture – When Hard Work Becomes Harmful

“Stay busy, keep going.”

These messages are everywhere across workplaces, social media, and even in everyday conversations. Over time, they have begun to shape how we define success. Working long hours and constantly pushing oneself is often praised, contributing to what is widely known as hustle culture (Petersen, 2021).

At first glance, this mindset can feel motivating. It encourages ambition, discipline, and a strong work ethic. However, over time, it can create an environment where rest is seen as laziness and overworking becomes the norm. In my view, this is where the problem begins when productivity is no longer about meaningful output, but about how much pressure a person can tolerate.

When Productivity Becomes Toxic

Productivity, by itself, is not harmful. In fact, it is essential for both personal and organizational success. However, it becomes toxic when there is constant pressure to achieve more without considering personal limits.

Employees may begin to feel that they always need to be doing something working longer hours, taking on additional responsibilities, skipping meals, staying late, and sometimes even avoiding basic breaks just to prove their value. Over time, this creates a cycle where individuals tie their self-worth directly to their performance.

Instead of feeling accomplished, many begin to feel that whatever they do is never enough. This constant pressure gradually leads to stress, emotional exhaustion, and in some cases, even burnout or resignation.

The Influence of Social Media

Social media has played a significant role in reinforcing toxic productivity. Platforms such as LinkedIn are often filled with posts celebrating long working hours, constant achievements, and success stories that rarely reflect the full reality behind them.

Similarly, platforms like TikTok and YouTube frequently showcase daily vlogs and career-focused content that highlight highly competitive job markets, particularly in countries that attract international workers.

This has had a strong influence on younger generations, especially Generation Z, who are increasingly motivated to pursue global opportunities. While this ambition can be positive, it can also create pressure to work excessively, continuously upskill, and remain constantly productive in order to stay competitive.

As a result, many individuals develop unrealistic expectations about success and begin to adopt unhealthy work habits, further reinforcing a culture of toxic productivity.

Unrealistic Expectations in the Workplace

At the same time, many organizations unintentionally contribute to this issue through unrealistic expectations embedded in everyday work practices. Tight deadlines, excessive workloads, and continuous performance monitoring often supported by digital tracking systems can push employees beyond sustainable limits.

In highly competitive environments, individuals may feel constant pressure to meet targets, respond quickly, and demonstrate continuous output, even when resources are limited (Pfeffer, 2018).

In such contexts, being constantly busy is often mistaken for being effective. Employees may feel that slowing down, setting boundaries, or taking breaks could be interpreted as a lack of commitment or ambition. This perception is further reinforced by performance-driven cultures that prioritize visibility and responsiveness over meaningful outcomes (Mazmanian et al., 2013).

Over time, this leads to fatigue, reduced work quality, disengagement, and long-term strain on both individuals and organizational performance (Maslach and Leiter, 2016).

The Impact on Employee Wellbeing

The effects of excessive work pressure are not always immediately visible, but they build up over time. Continuous demands, combined with insufficient rest, can lead to stress, anxiety, and mental fatigue.

Employees may struggle to disconnect from work, which can negatively affect their personal lives, relationships, and overall health. From a broader perspective, such a work culture is unsustainable.

When individuals are consistently pushed beyond their limits, their engagement begins to decline, creativity is reduced, and long-term performance is affected. What may appear as short-term productivity gains often results in long-term organizational costs.

Rethinking Productivity in HRM

From a practical perspective, organizations need to move away from the idea that being constantly busy equals being productive. Instead, there should be a shift toward a more balanced and sustainable approach to work.

This can be achieved by setting realistic workloads, clearly defining expectations, and ensuring that employees have adequate time to rest and recover. Encouraging employees to take breaks, disconnect after working hours, and manage their time effectively can significantly reduce unnecessary pressure.

Human Resource Management plays a critical role in facilitating these changes. This includes introducing policies that support employee wellbeing, such as flexible working arrangements, access to mental health resources, and fair performance evaluation systems.

At the same time, leaders must actively model healthy work habits by respecting boundaries, avoiding excessive demands, and creating an environment where employees feel comfortable speaking up about workload challenges.

Creating a sustainable workplace ultimately means recognizing that rest is just as important as performance. When organizations move away from constant pressure and embrace balanced productivity, employees are more likely to feel motivated, healthy, and capable of performing at their best.

 

References

•  Mazmanian, M., Orlikowski, W.J. and Yates, J. (2013) The autonomy paradox: The implications of mobile email devices for knowledge professionals. Organization Science, 24(5), pp. 1337–1357.
• Maslach, C. and Leiter, M.P. (2016) Understanding the burnout experience: Recent research and its implications for psychiatry. World Psychiatry, 15(2), pp. 103–111.
• Petersen, A.H. (2021) Can’t Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
• Pfeffer, J. (2018) Dying for a Paycheck: How Modern Management Harms Employee Health and Company Performance—and What We Can Do About It. New York: Harper Business.