A US-based employee has shared a shocking insight into the demanding work culture in American corporate jobs, revealing that colleagues start working as early as 6 am and often continue until 11 pm. The anonymous user, who posted on Reddit, described the US corporate culture “intense” and “never-ending”. The employee was shocked to find colleagues starting their day before sunrise, sending emails and Slacks as early as 6-7 am, even before heading to the office.
The Redditor described his own routine as “conventional”, and felt as the odd one out for not being “on” before the day begins.
“It doesn’t stop there either. Many of them keep working really late at night, still sending Slacks and emails around 9–11pm. It’s honestly stressing me out. I’m not as enthusiastic about the job as they seem to be, but I also feel pressure to keep up so I don’t end up with bad performance reviews or even risk being laid off. Just out of curiosity, how common is this kind of culture in corporate America? How should I navigate this situation?”, the Reddit user wrote.
The Reddit post went viral, sparking a heated discussion about work culture. Many lamented how this pressure to constantly be “on” and “available” is taking a toll on employees, with many feeling stressed and anxious about keeping up.
One user wrote, “Unfortunately, some of US corporate work culture is about looking busy and being available. I check emails in the early morning and again in the evening. However, I try to never impose that on peers or subordinates to try to stop that stuff from rolling downhill. For them, I schedule messages until the next regular work period.”
Another commented, “Yeah, the US is horrible to work in. The terrible work culture and complete lack of work life balance are why I never moved back, once I got got lucky after studying across with a job and got a taste of what civilized countries got as employees there was no going back to that nightmare in the US even if it pays slightly more it’s simply not worth it.”
A third added, “There are a lot of people who have NOTHING going on besides work – no families, no children, no friends and no hobbies. Their only sense of pride and accomplishment comes from their job, and american corporate greed exploits that very well. Ironically the same corporation will throw them away the minute their profits are half percent lower than “the prognosis”.