Dr. Gleb Tsipursky – The Office Whisperer
Nirit Cohen – WorkFutures
Angela Howard – Culture Expert
Drew Jones – Design & Innovation
Jonathan Price – CRE & Flex Expert
The 996 schedule, popularized by China’s startup world, demands employees work from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week. Now, some tech firms in the U.S. are experimenting with this model, hoping to outpace competitors and gain an edge in the AI space.
But here’s the contradiction: AI symbolizes the future, while 996 echoes a bygone industrial mindset. Like mandatory return-to-office policies, it misreads the core of what the future of work really requires.
Innovation Doesn’t Come from the Clock
Let’s be honest — working long hours isn’t inherently problematic. Plenty of driven, high-achieving professionals log 60-hour weeks. But they do it on their terms, not because they’re locked into a rigid schedule like 9-to-5, four-day weeks, or the 996 grind.
Commitment doesn’t come from clocking in.
Today’s top talent thrives on alignment, not attendance. They’re willing to invest their time when it helps them achieve goals that matter to them — whether it’s growth, purpose, stability, or impact. That’s not idealism; it’s a smart approach.
The employees you most want to keep are the ones who have options, and those individuals gauge their job by value delivered, not hours spent.
Replace Timekeeping with Trust
The 996 philosophy eliminates flexibility. So do return-to-office mandates. Even seemingly progressive ideas like four-day workweeks still emphasize time rather than output. These structures were designed for assembly lines, not for the knowledge economy where adaptability and innovation are key.
When leaders obsess over hours, they send the wrong signal. They prioritize oversight over ownership. It suggests that output can be engineered through stress and surveillance. But when people are exhausted or disengaged, that model breaks down.
Younger generations — Millennials and Gen Z — are already seeking workplaces that are empathetic, flexible, and aligned with their values. They’ve seen the cost of all work and no life. They’re not willing to make the same trade.
If your offer involves sacrificing autonomy, health, or personal agency, don’t expect applicants — or loyalty.
What Really Drives Success
On a recent episode of The Future of Less Work, I interviewed Tamara Myles and Wes Adams, co-authors of Meaningful Work and researchers at the University of Pennsylvania. Their study, which spans thousands of workers across 25 sectors, shows that nearly 50% of workplace meaning is shaped by leadership.
As Myles explains, “Meaningful work isn’t just about what you do. It’s about how you experience it.”
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Adams adds that a job doesn’t need to be a calling to feel important.
“What matters is the presence of community, contribution, and challenge,” he notes.
These moments of engagement can show up in any role, any day, if leaders create space for them.
Here’s how these three drivers break down:
- Community means feeling seen, respected, and included. It can be as simple as asking about someone’s day — and caring enough to follow up.
- Contribution is about knowing your work has an impact, whether that’s acknowledged by a client, colleague, or manager.
- Challenge involves being pushed to grow in an environment where support matches the expectations.
These aren’t budget issues. They’re leadership choices. And they influence whether someone is fully engaged or mentally checked out.
As Adams pointed out, citing data from Gallup and Workhuman, offering just one genuine thank-you a week can halve burnout and disengagement. That’s the performance lever — not longer shifts.
The Future Doesn’t Fit in a Punch Clock
So what does embracing 996 really communicate? That time spent matters more than outcomes. That loyalty must be proven through presence. That productivity is something to be squeezed out through pressure.
If you’re enforcing schedules to chase output, you’re focusing on the wrong metric. And you’re alienating the very talent you need to move forward — especially those who lived through the pandemic and came out valuing their time more than ever.
Every day at work is a day they won’t get back. If it doesn’t feel purposeful, they’ll look elsewhere.
The old idea was that life starts when work ends. The modern view is integration: people want work that fits into their lives, not takes over them. They seek alignment. They want their work to mean something.
Here’s the irony. While some companies cling to rigid systems to compete in the AI era, AI itself is eliminating repetitive tasks.
That opens the door for humans to do what machines can’t — be creative, adaptable, and emotionally intelligent. But only if workplaces evolve to support that. The 996 model doesn’t. You won’t build tomorrow’s workforce by managing it like it’s 1996.
The future belongs to companies that understand this shift. The best employees work not out of obligation, or micromanagement, but because their work gives them purpose.
That’s the future of work — and it won’t be won by the hour.
