Overview
Long working hours drain productivity, damage wellbeing, and cost businesses dearly. Neuroscience shows our brains can’t sustain endless output, while trials of shorter workweeks prove focus beats presenteeism. This article examines the risks of a long-hours culture and provides practical, outcome-driven leadership strategies to foster healthier, more effective workplaces for the future.
Introduction
It’s astonishing that in the 21st century, we’re still grappling with the dangers of long working hours. Despite countless conversations about productivity, wellbeing, and flexible work, many organisations continue to uphold outdated habits that don’t serve anyone, least of all the business.
The Cost of Presenteeism and Unpaid Overtime
According to a TUC study from 2024, UK workers put in £26 billion worth of unpaid overtime over 12 months. This isn’t just about dedication—it’s often a product of unrealistic workloads and, more worryingly, “pointless presenteeism.” Employees are still being judged not by their outcomes, but by the hours they spend visible at their desks.
Meanwhile, a 2024 poll from People Management showed that 77% of respondents considered the ability to work flexibly more critical than their salary level.
There is no doubt that the lockdown during the pandemic was a game-changer. People who would not otherwise have considered it an option were forced to work from home. This experience undoubtedly showed many the benefits of working from home and in a flexible manner. This experience is proving hard for the UK workforce to put behind them, quite rightly.
Why Do Workplaces Develop a Long-Hours Culture?
A long-hours culture rarely arises from strategic intention. It often stems from:
- Leadership insecurity: leaders unsure of how to manage outputs may default to measuring hours.
- Fear-based management: When under pressure, managers tend to rely on control rather than trust.
- Legacy thinking: outdated norms equate dedication with sitting at a desk.
- Poor planning: inadequate forecasting or resource planning leads to crisis-mode working.
It’s also important to recognise the economic driver. In salaried roles, employers often benefit financially from unpaid labour, though in the long term, this is offset by disengagement, turnover, and stress-related absences.
Working from Home and the Pressure to Stay “On”
If not managed well, remote working can be counterproductive in terms of maximising the potential of employees at work. The rise in remote working can blur the boundaries between professional and personal life. For many, working from home has become a way of life, merging with their personal space. Without a commute to symbolically end the day, people can log more extended hours and feel more pressure to stay responsive into the evening.
Managers who lack trust or fail to measure outcomes effectively may unintentionally foster this always-on culture. Without clear expectations, some remote workers feel compelled to “prove” they’re working, even when it comes at the expense of their wellbeing.
Neuroscience and the Limits of Human Bandwidth
Neuroscience reveals that the human brain is not designed for sustained peak performance over extended periods of time. Studies have shown that cognitive performance declines after just a few hours of intense work. According to research from Stanford University, productivity declined significantly for individuals working 50 hours or more per week. What this means is simple: long hours are not only ineffective—they’re counterproductive. When pushed too far, our decision-making suffers, creativity dwindles, and the risk of burnout soars. This is what happens to the brain when we try to overload it.
1. Cognitive Fatigue Sets In
When the brain works continuously without rest, it begins to deplete its limited supply of glucose and oxygen, its primary sources of energy. As energy depletes, the prefrontal cortex (which is responsible for decision-making, focus, and impulse control) becomes less effective. People may notice:
- Slower thinking
- Increased errors
- Trouble focusing
- Poor memory recall
- Shorter attention span
2. The Default Mode Network Activates
The brain is not designed for nonstop focus. After prolonged periods of concentration, it naturally shifts into a resting state called the Default Mode Network (DMN), which supports daydreaming, reflection, and memory consolidation. If we ignore this and continue working, mental exhaustion increases, and productivity falls off sharply.
3. Stress Hormones Increase
Overworking elevates cortisol, the body’s primary stress hormone. Sustained cortisol levels lead to:
- Anxiety
- Mood swings
- Sleep disturbances
- Weakened immune response
Eventually, the brain may enter a state of allostatic overload, a breakdown in the brain’s ability to reset itself after stress, which is a precursor to burnout.
4. Diminished Executive Function
Prolonged effort without adequate recovery can weaken the brain’s executive functions, including planning, regulating emotions, and thinking flexibly. People may start making impulsive decisions or overreacting emotionally, and creativity virtually disappears.
Trying to operate the brain like a machine constantly “on” results in mental fatigue, poor decision-making, and burnout. The brain isn’t built for endless output; it’s built for rhythmic work and rest. Honouring its limits leads to greater creativity, resilience, and sustained performance.
The 4-Day Working Week Pilot
Recent 4-day working week trials across the UK and globally have shown that reducing working hours does not harm productivity—in fact, it often improves it.
In the UK’s largest trial, coordinated by 4 Day Week Global, over 90% of participating companies chose to continue with the model after the pilot. Employees reported better focus, improved wellbeing, and reduced burnout, while many organisations saw the same or better output.
From a neuroscience perspective, this makes sense: the brain performs best when given time to rest and recover. Shorter workweeks allow the brain to cycle through productive effort and restoration, reducing cognitive fatigue and enhancing long-term performance. The success of these trials challenges the assumption that more hours equal more value, highlighting instead the power of focused, sustainable work.
Outcome-Focused Leadership Is the Antidote
To counter the dangers of long working hours, businesses must shift towards outcome-focused leadership. When people are empowered to deliver results rather than prove their presence, they tend to thrive. Here’s how to lead the change.
Six Ways to End Long-Hours Culture for Good
1. Operate a Smart Performance Regime
- Set clear, outcome-based goals tailored to your role and lifestyle.
- Trust employees to manage their time as long as targets are met.
- Focus on what’s achieved, not when or where it’s done.
Smart objectives free people from clock-watching and drive greater ownership of their time and performance.
2. Measure the Real Costs of Overwork
Long hours come at a cost. The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported that in 2016 alone, long working hours led to 745,000 deaths globally due to cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, it found that working 55 or more hours per week is associated with an estimated 35% higher risk of a stroke and a 17% higher risk of dying from ischemic heart disease, compared to working 35-40 hours a week.
In the workplace, you can calculate the actual costs of:
- Absenteeism and presenteeism
- Reduced productivity
- High staff turnover
- Recruitment and retraining
- Increased health claims and burnout
Healthy work-life balance isn’t just humane—it’s good business.
3. Set Clear Standards and Flexible Boundaries
Flexibility must have structure. Agree on what’s non-negotiable—like response times, handovers, or phone cover. Allow teams to self-organise within those boundaries, but hold them accountable for the results.
Let go of micromanagement. Trust is the foundation of performance in flexible teams.
4. Plan for Ebbs and Flows
The workload isn’t constant. During peak periods, longer hours might be necessary, but these should be short-term and compensated with recovery time.
Map out seasonal trends or known busy phases. Engage employees in planning, so they feel in control and prepared.
5. Celebrate When People Go the Extra Mile
If a team stays late to meet a deadline, acknowledge it. Gratitude is a powerful motivator. A simple thank you goes further than you think, especially when given sincerely and publicly.
When people feel valued, they’re more likely to rise to future challenges without being expected to sacrifice their health.
6. Provide People With a Flexible Time-Off Request System
Employees can suffer stress, job burnout, or personal issues, but be afraid to ask for time off. If scheduling time off is difficult, your employees may become stressed and make the wrong decisions on the job.
Managing your team’s time-off requests can be streamlined and simplified using a time-off manager, which acts as a portal for employee schedules and time-off requests.
When you implement a sound time-off management system, employees will easily schedule and manage their time off. Since your employees can manage their requests in advance, you can all ensure that they handle their time off responsibilities effectively without having to stress about it.
Rebuilding Work Culture: A Smarter Future
The dangers of long working hours are well-evidenced, yet the solutions are within reach. Forward-thinking organisations are already redesigning their cultures around balance, trust, and autonomy. As the world of work evolves, talented people have choices—and they’re choosing environments that treat their time and wellbeing with respect.
A permanent long-hours culture is not a badge of honour. It’s a sign of defeat: of poor planning, low trust, and outdated thinking. Let’s build something better.
