86 the 996 Work Week

Judy Agnew, Ph.D. Behavior Culture Leadership Strategy Execution

There is a trend emerging in the tech/AI world of pushing a 72-hour work week. 996 refers to working from 9am to 9pm, 6 days a week. The practice started in the tech industry in China in the 2010s. In 2021, it was ruled illegal by the China’s Supreme People’s Court. Despite this, some companies in Silicon Valley are making it mandatory. The movement has its roots in the race to commercialize AI technologies. Tech companies are looking for strategies to beat the competition in this fast-paced race to market. 

This is yet another example of organizations grasping at straws and following trends when it comes to human performance, rather than making data-based decisions. Ironically, a quick Google AI search produced this summary of the effectiveness of 996:

Overwhelming evidence from decades of research, including studies from Stanford University and other institutions, indicates that a 72-hour workweek does not lead to greater productivity. Instead, it typically causes significant decreases in both overall output and work quality, and leads to serious negative health effects for employees. 

Research shows that productivity declines sharply after 50 hours and that those who worked 70 hours were no more productive than those who worked 55 hours (Pencavel, 2014). The negative side effects of longer hours include burnout, health problems, and retention issues. Clearly, 996 is not a sound business practice. 

Understandably, the fierce competition surrounding AI drives leaders to grasp at anything that might provide a competitive advantage, but leaning into a strategy that has proven ineffective and problematic is a surprisingly unintelligent choice for otherwise intelligent AI leaders.

There is an alternative based on years of research that has proven effective and has positive rather than negative side effects. The highest levels of performance are achieved by creating a work environment rich in helpful feedback and positive reinforcement. Instead of mandating long work hours, try building in opportunities for workers to share progress, collaborate on problem-solving, and celebrate small achievements. To be clear, this is not about non-contingent perks like hiring executive chefs and putting ping pong tables in the workspace. It is about setting clear, achievable objectives, identifying the most productive behaviors, and then using proven motivational strategies to strengthen those behaviors in order to drive results. Achieving discretionary effort is about how people are managed, not about the number of hours worked. Just ask AI.

 

Posted by Judy Agnew, Ph.D.

As senior vice president of safety solutions, Judy spends her time helping clients create sustainable safety cultures. She also helps clients with strategy execution beyond safety, and general management and leadership improvement across cultural and generational differences.