Imagine this: you’re at a private dinner, enjoying quality time with family and friends when your boss calls unexpectedly. A new client report is due by morning, and you’re required to drop everything and return to work. The awkwardness at the table is palpable and you feel the weight of disrupting your guests’ evening. Worse, you’re struck by a sense of injustice as your personal time, your freedom, has just been taken away.
This scenario underscores a widespread issue in many competitive fields: the struggle to balance intense work demands with personal well-being. In highly time-consuming industries with strong client dedication such as consulting, this issue is quite prevalent. My research in France and Brazil highlights the universality of this issue across cultures and work environments.
In today’s evolving world, young generations no longer prioritise long hours and presenteeism over their personal lives. As burnout and job quitting have become more common, companies are struggling to recruit and retain talent. But why has this problem escalated, and what can managers do about it?
Understanding the origins and impact of overwork
For many workers, the cause of excessive work hours is 1) internal pressure and 2) ambient competition, especially in consulting firms or similar businesses.
Internal pressure is based on personal ambition, or the individual motivation of each person and their desire to succeed. It is a structural element that has multiple origins such as family pressure, social pressure or a capitalist culture where success is often equated with relentless hard work.
Ambient competition on the other hand is fostered by some companies as a strategy to identify top performers. The idea is that internal competition favours the best and weeds out the worst according to the company’s needs, so it may seem useful at first glance. However, it can quickly devolve into unhealthy individualism. For example, “Workaholism” as defined by addictologist Alexis Peschard, thrives in highly competitive environments and can lead to social isolation within working groups.
These factors feed into each other: heightened personal pressure intensifies competition, and fierce competition, in turn, raises the stakes for individual performance. The outcomes are clear: elevated stress, reduced performance and a culture of prolonged working hours.
Over time, this creates dissatisfaction, burnout, and talent attrition, posing a threat to the sustainable future of the company.
Employees who feel valued and supported are more likely to stay engaged, perform at their best, and remain loyal. Meanwhile, companies that prioritise well-being can attract top talent and reduce risks associated with burnout and turnover.
The real culprit: lack of free time
Research shows that consistently working over 60 hours a week has a negative impact on individual health, regardless of age, sex or origin. Yet, when speaking to consultants, it’s not just the long hours that emerge as the central issue–it’s the erosion of free time. This deprivation manifests in frustration and the feeling of being trapped, as illustrated by the dinner interruption scenario.
Another key challenge is work pace variability. Many jobs, especially client-facing roles, are characterised by rush periods and slacker periods which are specific to each professional activity (e.g. a restaurant during lunch hours). While these shifts are unavoidable, they amplify stress for employees who struggle to adapt.
Practical strategies for managers
Managers play a crucial role in addressing these challenges. They must find the right balance between business requirements and individual employee needs. Here are three actionable strategies to foster employee well-being while maintaining high performance:
- Prioritise free time and a healthy work environment
When working hours increase, free time diminishes disproportionately. For example, a 10% rise in work hours might reduce free time by over 50%. Thus, managers must establish a work environment that promotes an intense pace within limited hours in order to optimise an employee’s time at work without compromising personal time. In addition, they should cultivate a positive work environment that promotes the well-being of individuals while they work. This might include encouraging regular breaks, offering flexible schedules, and promoting collaboration over competition.
- Consider life paces and patterns in their entirety
Since the dissatisfaction stemming from overwork often relates to the broader context of an individual’s life, it is important for managers to take into account the day-to-day rhythms of their employees’ lives. Factors like commuting, childcare responsibilities, and basic needs such as food and sleep all contribute to the overall pace of life. As a consequence, managers should adopt a personalised approach, recognising individual circumstances while balancing team and organisational goals.
- Manage variability proactively
To navigate fluctuating workloads, managers must plan strategically. This includes:
- Transparent communication about upcoming busy periods
- Proactive workload balancing across teams
- Developing contingency plans to handle spikes in demand without overburdening employees.
By reducing uncertainty and evenly distributing responsibilities, managers can create a more predictable and less stressful environment for their teams.
A win-win for companies and employees
Adopting these practices benefits both organisations and their people. Employees who feel valued and supported are more likely to stay engaged, perform at their best, and remain loyal. Meanwhile, companies that prioritise well-being can attract top talent and reduce risks associated with burnout and turnover.
In today’s fast-paced world, managing work pace and patterns isn’t just a matter of productivity–it’s about sustainability. By addressing the root causes of dissatisfaction and implementing thoughtful strategies, managers can foster a workplace where both employees and businesses thrive.
This article is based on a research project conducted by ESCP Business School Master in Management student Giacomo Agnelli as part of the ‘Managing Yourself and Others’ specialisation, in collaboration with the Reinventing Work Chair supported by BivwAk! BNP Paribas.