Work-Life Balance in Hospitality: Is the Industry Giving Up or Growing Up?

At a recent Kith & Kin forum event, I shared a story about the transformation in hospitality workplace culture over the 30 years I’ve been part of this industry.

I began with the bold claim that, when I started, working 80-hour weeks was the norm.

Then I checked myself—80 hours? Surely that couldn’t be right! But while 80 might sound extreme, 65+ hours was common and expected for anyone serious about a career in hospitality back then. Without minimum wage regulations, many of us felt compelled to work these hours simply to make ends meet, yet the reality is that long hours were a fundamental expectation from our employers. To work full-time in hospitality in the 1990s meant accepting that this was just the way it was.

Gen X grew up with the belief that our value came from how hard and long we worked, wearing exhaustion as a badge of honor. Burnout wasn’t a term we knew; if you couldn’t keep up, it simply meant you didn’t have what it took. Those who could survive the grind were regarded as heroes—hospitality’s own brand of superheroes.

But times have changed, and rightly so. These standards are unacceptable to the younger generations entering our workforce. I remember hearing my staff in the noughties talk about “AFDs” (All F***ing Days) a term I had never heard of. Even for millennials who signed 48-hour opt-out agreements, AFDs—while not uncommon—were no longer considered normal.

For Gen Z, it’s a different landscape altogether. I stopped using opt-outs years ago because none of my team members would work beyond a 48-hour week. Partly, I made that decision because I wanted to prioritise my staff’s well-being; but also, these younger team members simply wouldn’t entertain the idea—it was a confrontation that I didn’t want or need to have.

The hospitality industry has come a long way in the last three decades.

Workplace culture has improved, work-life balance is better, and pay has risen. The changing world is challenging the old way of doing things and gradually eroding the negative, antisocial elements of the job.

What we’re left with is the gem at the heart of hospitality: the camaraderie, the excitement, the joy of service, the problem-solving, the teamwork. It’s a pleasure to watch these aspects thrive as we retain the best parts of the job while shedding the aspects that once made it so grueling.

The hospitality industry has undergone significant changes over the last three decades. Today, we take better care of our people, and while reduced hours mean we need more hands on deck to cover shifts, we’re no longer pushing staff to the breaking point. They are no longer seen as disposable.

However, as employers who grew up in a very different environment, we must confront our own history and recognize that this old model was flawed.

It’s a hard truth, but it’s the only way we can embrace the workplace culture that younger generations demand and deserve.

So here’s to Gen Z: good for them. I want my own children to stand up for themselves, to understand that their well-being comes first, and to value rest and interests outside of work. In the end, that balance not only makes them healthier and happier but also more effective, bringing a fresh commitment and enthusiasm to their roles in hospitality.