When culture rewards overwork
Compare stated wellbeing commitments with what leaders praise and promote. Recognition can undermine a policy if endurance is treated as the model.
The performance question
Celebrating repeated late work without asking why it was necessary can normalise an unmanageable role. Recognise good outcomes and responsible problem solving, including early escalation and effective cover. Do not blame staff who work extra hours to meet demands the organisation imposed.
What the evidence supports
NICE says organisational approaches should be the foundation for mental wellbeing and individual approaches should not replace stressor reduction. HSE says employers must manage fatigue irrespective of willingness to work extra hours. These constrain reliance on voluntary endurance.[1][2]
A practical approach
Review recognition messages, promotion criteria and senior behaviour for implicit rewards for constant availability. Ask leaders to acknowledge planning, safe challenge and sustainable delivery. Investigate teams with repeated overtime and resolve the underlying commitments. Preserve appropriate recognition of genuine emergencies without making them the expected norm.
How to review progress
Compare working patterns with the revised signals and ask staff what behaviour they believe is really rewarded. A new statement is insufficient if managers continue allocating impossible work. Review capacity and incentives together.
Sources and references
- Mental wellbeing at work Opens in a new tab
NICE
NG212 sections 1.1 to 1.6: strategy, environment, managers and individual support
- Human factors: Fatigue Opens in a new tab
Health and Safety Executive
Why fatigue matters and key principles for managing working hours