While putting in long hours occasionally is acceptable, doing so consistently will lead to the dreaded burnout.
However, certain employees at a certain computer business don’t leave their desks till two in the morning, so for them, it’s the norm and what’s expected of them.
Artificial Intelligence company Nvidia has a ‘always on’ mentality, with workers expected to be at their desks seven days a week and often until into the early hours of the morning.
The company, which produces the chips used in artificial intelligence technologies, does not have a high employee turnover rate, which is typically indicative of a contented workforce.
According to a former Nvidia engineer who spoke with Bloomberg News, many staff choose to stay at the company despite the demanding schedule.
With employees receiving high salaries and bonuses, they have said they feel they have ‘golden handcuffs’, meaning it’s impossible to leave and they continue working despite long hours, a temperamental work culture and almost no work/life balance.
Another employee claimed that she would frequently attend up to ten meetings a day, many of which included “shouting and fighting.”
Similar reports and descriptions of the company as “a pressure cooker” where meetings frequently turn into shouting contests have been made by others.
Yet despite the obvious red flags, she like others sticks with the tech giant due to the excellent salary and benefits.
However, given the way the workplace is evolving and the founder of LinkedIn’s prediction that the 9–5 job would soon become obsolete, having a large wage but no work-life balance may cause more workers to hunt for other opportunities.
While it is understandable that sometimes people may have difficult or demanding days, doing so on a regular basis seems like a formula for chronic burnout, which has led to many people searching for better positions.
According to a US think tank Future Forum study of 10,243 worldwide workers conducted last year, 42% of them reported having burnout—the highest percentage since May 2021.
There are health concerns associated with having such a demanding work schedule. According to a May 2021 study by the International Labour Organization and the World Health Organization, working long hours is predicted to be the reason for the death of 750 000 individuals per year from ischemic heart disease and stroke.
Yet for those at Nvidia, it appears the lack of sleep and graft are to be expected.
The CEO and co-founder of Nvidia, Jensen Huang, has made remarks in the past about the company culture. He told CBS’s 60 Minutes in an interview: “If you want to do extraordinary things, it shouldn’t be easy.”
