Hustle-and-grind culture a catalyst for burnout

The hustle-and-grind mentality is a common theme that workers across Australia, regardless of industry, have seemingly adopted, often resulting in a rise in stress and burnout.

HR Leader recently spoke to author Danielle Colley, about the impact that hustle culture can have on our wellbeing.

Hustle culture has become a common, modern workplace behaviour that has been adopted by workers across various industries. It puts an emphasis on working long hours, often disregarding mental health and wellbeing to achieve job-related success or financial prosperity.

“Hustle culture is working excessively without regard for one’s self-care needs and relationships in order to reach professional success,” Dr Olga Molina said.

Colley touches on the potential pitfalls that can arise when an individual prioritises a hustle culture mentality over the other facets of their life.

“The pitfalls of the hustle-and-grind mentality is that it is a suggestion of success at all costs. This often doesn’t take other circumstances into consideration, such as health, energy levels, external life factors. If you just think about the word ‘grind’, it implies crushing or grating, which as a way of daily living does not sound enjoyable nor sustainable,” Colley said.

“This level of intensity, backed by the mindset to create it, can easily lead to overwhelm, exhaustion and even burnout.”

That overwhelming element can begin to suffocate the individual who adheres to this mentality because, realistically, it is not sustainable.

It can create a damaging cycle that places the individual in a constantly pressurised environment, where they hold themselves to unattainable expectations that they struggle to reach, which can create mental health issues.

Colley uses a catchphrase relating to chocolate, which encapsulates the need for balance in your life instead of the constant need for work-related success.

“The Mars Bar catchphrase is ‘a Mars a day helps you work, rest and play’, so for your life to be as delicious as a Mars Bar, you would ensure that each day, week and month is prioritising the balance of work, rest and play,” Colley said.

“The elements of a Mars – the nougat, the caramel and chocolate, are not in equal portions, yet the flavour combination is subjectively perfect. With this in mind, your personal ratio of work, rest and play will be forever changing depending on what’s happening in your life, but it’s the presence in any amount that is important.”

A major roadblock that can happen when an individual prescribes to the hustle-and-grind mentality is when an unexpected redundancy occurs. When an individual solely dedicates their life to their work, it sets a dangerous precedent, especially if that work is stripped from them.

“The biggest danger from losing your job is the hit your ego takes. Obviously, your stability gets rocked, which can make you feel vulnerable and scared, but when your self-esteem feels battered also, it can be particularly hard to pick yourself back up again,” Colley said.

“Sometimes, when we feel scared or blue, we can turn to self-soothing methods like alcohol, food, risky or numbing behaviours to take our mind off our circumstances.”

This hurdle can be a stark reminder for workers to find that balance in their lives and to avoid becoming fixated on something as singular as their job role. The pitfalls, degradation of wellbeing, and potential burnout can make the hustle-and-grind journey a fruitless endeavour.

Instead, focusing on having that balance between your work and life can organically create that professional success that a number of workers strive for.

“Wild success, stunning output, high achievement, and productivity can absolutely be attainable for anyone. The prioritisation of health and wellbeing alongside the kicking of the goals is what would create the difference between a hustle-and-grind person and a person who is creating sustainable and holistic success. Humans are not one dimensional,” Colley said.

“Nothing sustainable happens by complete chance. You need to decide what balance looks like for you at each different time of your life, and make the necessary plans and accommodations to protect that and bring it to fruition.”