For many working Americans, staying late at the office is a sign of dedication and work ethic. But is sacrificing sleep and personal time worth it?
Jena McGregor, a columnist for The Washington Post, doesn't think so.
In a recent article, Ms. McGregor outlined how the tactic is being advertised across the spectrum.
In late August, a Wall Street Journal article touted the benefits of setting your alarm for 4 a.m. After calling out Hillary Clinton for sleeping, presidential candidate Donald Trump said, "I don't sleep much," according to CNN. Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer told Bloomberg Businessweek she pulled at least one all-nighter each week while working at Google. "The actual experience was more like, 'Could you work 130 hours in a week?' The answer is yes, if you're strategic about when you sleep, when you shower and how often you go to the bathroom," she said.
The necessity of working long hours isn't just perpetuated among executives. A 2014 Gallup poll showed half of Americans work more than 40 hours each week, with the average workweek increasing to nearly 47 hours.
"This has got to stop. No one, no matter what the upside may be, should have to be that strategic," Ms. McGregor wrote in her article. "The idea that being well-rested could be a black mark against a leader is preposterous."
The research is clear: Overworking is bad for you. Not only does it affect health and absenteeism, but it also affects productivity. Numerous studies have shown that productivity decreases at around 50 hours per week and plummets at 55 hours a week. No difference has been found between those who worked 70 versus those who worked 56 hours a week.
Some companies are on the right track to fixing this problem. In 2015, Hartford, Conn.-based Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini created a program that pays employees up to $500 per year for getting seven or more hours of sleep each night. Seattle-based Amazon plans on launching a 30-hour workweek for certain employees, according to The Washington Post.
But there's still progress to be made. Managers greatly influence how employees view their workweek. If workers see their manager taking time off or leaving work by 5 p.m., they'll feel more inclined to do the same.
Although executives and startup employees often choose to pull all-nighters, "they should be mindful that while oddball hours or absurdly long slogs at the desk may work for them, they also set an unattainable standard for many others," Ms. McGregor wrote.