Hustle Culture in Healthcare
Dr. Chad Key DBA, MBA, BS
Vice President, Acute Hospital Operations, Ambulatory, Ancillary, Revenue Cycle, Perioperative Business, Support Services, and Adjunct Professor/Instructor
This morning you woke up with flu-like symptoms, including fever, runny nose, congestion, and body aches. Your first step to the start of your day is picking up your cell phone to check your calendar, emails, and daily commitments. You have three critical meetings with time-sensitive deliverables in which you are either the facilitator or a significant contributor. The risk of getting those in the office sick is not an option, so you move these appointments to your company's virtual platform and make a plan to push through (normalizing working while sick). But please wait; your kid has soccer practice this evening, so your last meeting will happen over Bluetooth while driving. Perhaps your scenario includes the following:
We all have learned how to multi-task, make provisions, and get creative during critical periods to get work done. Still, some individuals choose never to disconnect and make it a lifestyle that career/success comes above all else. The current economic climate, rising inflation, recent layoffs, and fear of recession might drive individuals to explore multiple income streams. Others might acquire a side gig, learn a new trade, complete an additional certification, or be encouraged to find alternatives to survive.?
At the same time, the implications for hustle culture in healthcare organizations significantly impact care providers across the nation, and burnout is problematic. Healthcare Executives nationwide are working at lightning speed to find solutions that remediate the alarming rates of chronic burnout for nursing/physician/and other allied health professionals.?
The hustle culture, by definition, is a work environment that ignores reasonable limits to explore capitalistic goals/building wealth/or success at all costs. The explorative research describes this culture as toxic, a social standard that success is achievable by overexertion, and asserts an environment of working to max capacity with ideals to work tirelessly without a break.?
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Byung-Chul Han uses a psychological perspective to analyze hustle culture. Specifically, the transformation from a disciplinary to an ego-focused achievement society. Han attributes the mental illness, burnout, depression, and anxiety plaguing the workforce to an excess of positivity and inherent ego in pursuit of unattainable achievement (Diaz, 2021).
Critics might be familiar with global media pioneer Gary Vee's examination of the existential dilemmas of grind/hustle culture that afflict Millenials and Gen-Z employees. While researchers might pay homage to the Japanese (karoshi culture), or Elon Musk for his work ethic (80-100 hours a week), or Tesla as a business case scenario, it is the technological advances of Silicon Valley in the early 2000s that ignited this cultural phenomenon. The increasing capabilities include Wi-fi, virtual technologies, wireless earphones, hoverboards, and other integrative/intuitive innovations.
In healthcare, over the last two years, during the COVID pandemic, we learned valuable lessons about the psychosocial impact of this culture on our workers. As unintentional circumstances would create extra shifts due to resource limitations, an excessive need for contract labor at premium pay/cost, combined with competitive staffing agencies paying three times average salaries for nursing expertise. The compensatory advantages created new opportunities for many to improve their financial health.?
My nurse practitioner colleague and friend left her primary job of ten years to travel with an agency. This decision enabled her to buy a new car outright in cash with no financing, pay off her student loan debt, save enough money to cover her wedding and make a down payment on her lavish contemporary home in a one-year timeframe. While she doesn't deny the burnout, she totes her checklist of accomplishments in a short window of time as her reasoning, and while I am a more conservative/calculated risk taker, I admire her "Moxie."?
I can't help but wonder, where is the balance, and is this culture sustainable? The Japanese work culture: "Karoshi" means death from overwork.....
Perhaps "doing the Hustle" might give some much needed exercise to those who overdo the (business) hustle! Balance is so important, especially for one's mental and psychological well-being. No one person can alone save the world, but all of us add our pieces and accomplish what should be done. Respect yourself and your team, and make room and time in your life for support and refreshing activities with family, friends, even just oneself. Renew your energy to let you "hustle" a bit longer. Happy and Safe Holidays to all!
People Connector | Global Business Strategist | Innovator | Storyteller | 20yr HR Leader | DEI & Culture Champion
1 年Very timely post! I’m in a new role leading a dynamic team and I find myself saying over and over “Family First..this job will be here” to my own team. I have to practice what I preach. I’m yelling from the back of the room ??Preach Dr Key!
Board-Certifed OBGYN | CEO @DeliveringJoyMD | Maternal Mortality Warrior
1 年I am recovering from the “hustle” mentality. I am so grateful to be able to focus on balance and boundaries right now.
CHRO at Maryland Food Bank
1 年Great post - very timely and relevant. This idea that we have to remain connected at all times to “appear” needed, committed and even irreplaceable is exhausting and unsustainable. As leaders, I think we also forget how this hustle culture, which many of us practice is setting the wrong example for our team members. If I’m sick and constantly online or taking meetings, of course the people on my team are going to think that’s the norm (and part of my expectation of them). I’m the first to admit that it’s so deeply ingrained, but practicing even small ways to break out of it is a must.
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1 年Thanks for sharing I love this