Is hustle culture toxic?



"There are way easier places to work, but nobody ever changed the world on 40 hours a week." That's exactly what Elon Musk tweeted in November 2018, as part of a call for new talent to join his companies. The post went viral, leading to a lot of people critiquing Musk's take on work and merit. Despite the criticism he faced, a lot of people, and followers of hustle culture in particular, stood firmly behind him.



So just what is hustle culture all about?



Hustle culture essentially glorifies putting in excessive effort at work, often at the expense of health and personal relationships. In this mindset, our identity becomes intertwined with our work role, with work being seen not as a means to a comfortable life, but as an end in itself. And when not grinding at work, adherents engage in activities that are deemed productive and professionally valuable, such as networking or reading work-related books.



For those for whom work is life, colleagues become akin to family. Taking it a step further, some companies, like Facebook and Apple, Introduced egg freezing benefits for female employees in the mid-2010s, critics said this seemed to suggest that starting a family should be deferred for the sake of professional dedication.



When did the trend of hustle culture really kick off?



While the roots of hustle culture are ancient, it took its current shape in the late 90s. Google, for instance, created ultra-comfortable work environments, complete with relaxation areas, on-site healthy food options, massage corners, and even clothing cleaning services. Initially appearing as a healthy work environment initiative, the real aim was to attract, and more crucially, retain employees.



Dave Heinemeier Hansen is the co-founder of Basecamp and author of It Doesn't Have to be Crazy at Work. He's quoted in a January 2019 New York Times article as saying, the vast majority of people beating the drums of hustle mania are not the people doing the actual work. They're the managers, financiers and owners. The persistent myths about overwork, he argued, serve to justify the extreme wealth accumulated by a select group of tech elites.



Is there a shift happening?



Increasingly, people are pushing back against hustle culture, especially in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Newer generations find themselves in precarious situations, facing temporary and unstable employment despite putting in hard work.



Aidan Harper, the mind behind a European campaign for a reduced work week known as the four-day week, argues that hustle culture is dehumanising and toxic. He believes it perpetuates the idea that our only value as human beings lies in our productivity, our ability to work, rather than in our humanity.



To break free from this mindset, setting clear boundaries becomes crucial. Identifying what saps our energy, scheduling breaks and rest time as diligently as meetings, and questioning whether tasks are beyond our job description, or if late nights at the office are driven by perfectionism or obligation, all become essential strategies. There you have it!



词汇表

tweet [twiːt] （在推特上）推文；发推文

go viral [ˈvaɪrəl] （在网络上）走红，迅速传播

critique [krɪˈtiːk] 批评，对…发表评论

take on something 对…的看法，态度

merit [ˈmerɪt] 功绩，价值；有点

hustle culture [ˈhʌsl ˈkʌltʃə(r)] “奋斗文化”（推崇过度投入工作，常以牺牲健康和个人关系为代价的文化理念）

glorify [ˈɡlɔːrɪfaɪ] 美化，推崇，颂扬

at the expense of [ɪkˈspens] 以…为代价

be intertwined with [ˌɪntəˈtwaɪnd] 与…紧密相连，与…交织在一起

grind at work [ɡraɪnd] 拼命工作，埋头苦干

adherent [ədˈhɪərənt] 拥护者，追随者；信徒

deem [diːm] 认为，视为，看作

networking [ˈnetwɜːkɪŋ] （尤指工作中）发现人际关系，建立人脉

be akin to [əˈkɪn] 类似于，相当于

egg freezing benefits （企业为女员工提供的）冷冻卵子福利

defer [dɪˈfɜː(r)] 推迟，延期

for the sake of [seɪk] 为了…（的利益）

professional dedication [ˌdedɪˈkeɪʃn] 职业奉献，敬业精神

kick off （活动或进程）开始，兴起，启动

ultra-comfortable [ˌʌltrə ˈkʌmfətəbl] 极其舒适的

on-site [ˌɒn ˈsaɪt] 现场的，就地的

massage [ˈmæsɑːʒ] 按摩，推拿

initiative [ɪˈnɪʃətɪv] 倡议，举措

retain [rɪˈteɪn] 留住，保住，保持

beat the drums of [drʌmz] 鼓吹，宣扬

mania [ˈmeɪniə] 狂热，狂潮，热衷

persistent myths [pəˈsɪstənt mɪθs] 长期存在的谬论，根深蒂固的错误观念

accumulate [əˈkjuːmjʊleɪt] 积聚，积累

a select group of tech elites [ɪˈliːts] 特定的科技精英群体

push back against 抵制，反对，反抗

in the light of 鉴于，考虑到，在…的背景下

precarious [prɪˈkeəriəs] 不稳定的，不确定的

dehumanising [diːˈhjuːmənaɪzɪŋ] 非人性化的，非人道的

toxic [ˈtɒksɪk] 有害的，有毒的

perpetuate [pəˈpetʃueɪt] 传播，延续（尤指不好的事物）

sap one's energy [sæp] 消耗某人的精力，使精疲力尽

diligently [ˈdɪlɪdʒəntli] 认真地，勤奋地，勤勉地

job description 职责说明，工作描述

perfectionism [pəˈfekʃənɪzəm] 完美主义，精益求精

obligation [ˌɒblɪˈɡeɪʃn] 义务，责任，职责



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