The importance of competitiveness seems to have re-emerged in the lexicon of global corporate culture. I don't know if that is because of all the recent visibility into tariffs and international competition, or because the effects of "Long Corporate COVID" have finally worn off.
For whatever reason, I am seeing more and more people talking about the challenge of reestablishing a competitive work ethic in order to fully participate in new economic opportunities around the world. Unfortunately, those conversations too often revolve around work hours.
A venture capitalist in Europe recently speculated that perhaps start-ups on the Continent need to adopt the 9-9-6 model that Chinese companies promote, calling for people to work from nine a.m. to nine p.m., six days per week. Yes, that is 72 hours for those who haven't done the math. During my career, I've consulted with a number of companies who promoted that kind of schedule. When I graduated from college in the late '80s, I worked those hours myself for a couple of years, something I acknowledge here, not to brag or complain, but merely to establish my credibility when it comes to understanding the benefits and costs of driving employees that hard. And so it is with confidence I can say that it's not a good idea.
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